Kottayam: In a growing trend that is worrying both parents and authorities, students and youth are resorting to medicines, especially those for curing serious ailments such as cancer and neurological disorders, in order to get a high.
A recent incident was reported from Kottayam west police station limits, in which a student was arrested by the police for allegedly using a drug used for treatment of serious psychiatric disorder.
According to the police, the student embezzled the seal of a doctor at the district hospital and fabricated a prescription to procure the medicine from a chemist.
“When the student was subjected to medical examination, it was discovered that he had consumed at least three of the tablets meant for treating severe psychiatric disorders. According to the doctors the student had consumed a dosage so high not permitted by any physician. The student was addicted to these drugs,” Kottayam West CI Zacharia Mathew told this newspaper.
According to sources, there exists a community of students and adults using these kinds of drugs in increasing numbers.
Experts say, there are many reasons inducing these people to use these drugs, including availability of the drug, cheap prices of these drugs compared to other intoxicants such as alcohol, marijuana and brown sugar, and lesser chances of being caught using these drugs.
The use of drugs such as these could be proved only with the help of a blood test.
The ban of pan masalas and the control on liquor have increased the use of these drugs.
“The long term use of these drugs can result in loss of memory, lack of mental productivity and concentration. There is a community who are using these drugs for intoxication. Though medical shops are now vigilant in administering these drugs to those who seek them, after realizing that people are using fake prescriptions of doctors,” says psychiatrist, Dr C.J. John.
