Aizawl: Mizoram Health Minister Lalrinpuii on Tuesday warned that the government could cancel the licences of medicine dealers found violating drug laws, amid growing concerns over the illegal sale and misuse of pharmaceutical drugs, particularly codeine-based cough syrup.
Lalrinpuii said in a social media post that an inter-ministerial meeting was held on Monday to assess the increasing abuse of pharmaceutical medicines in the state.
The meeting was attended by Excise Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar, officials from the Health and Excise and Narcotics departments, and representatives of the Central Young Mizo Association (YMA).
According to Lalrinpuii, participants noted that the decline in the availability of heroin, which remains one of Mizoram’s major drug-related concerns, had led some users to turn increasingly to pharmaceutical drugs.
The meeting also reviewed recent drug seizures and cases involving the arrest and prosecution of several people, including licensed medicine dealers, over alleged irregularities in the procurement and sale of medicines.
Lalrinpuii identified codeine syrup as the most widely misused pharmaceutical drug in Mizoram. She said large quantities were allegedly entering the state and being sold without prescriptions, despite the medicine being available only on prescription.
She said the misuse had spread among young people, adults and children, raising concerns about the wider public health impact.
The minister also pointed to a growing contradiction in the situation, saying tighter controls had made codeine-based medicines difficult to access for patients who legitimately require them, while their illegal distribution continued in several parts of the state.
Lalrinpuii expressed concern over the alleged involvement of some drug dealers and individuals posing as medical representatives in the illicit trade. She said medicines with potential for abuse had reportedly reached even remote areas of Mizoram.
The meeting also discussed cases in which labels on codeine syrup bottles were allegedly replaced with labels of other medicines to conceal their identity. Lalrinpuii said several such bottles had been seized and some people allegedly connected with the trade had been arrested.
The Health Minister warned that the government would take stringent action against those misusing drug licences obtained for legitimate pharmaceutical business to profit from medicines vulnerable to abuse.
She said licences of dealers found violating the law would be revoked, while the issuance of new licences would be subjected to strict scrutiny.
Lalrinpuii also directed the Excise and Narcotics Department to intensify its investigation and urged the Food and Drug Administration and the Central YMA to continue their follow-up measures to curb the illegal trade and misuse of pharmaceutical drugs.