The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Traders seek amendment to drugs act

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 05, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Traders seek amendment to drugs act

By Our Special Correspondent

ONGOLE, FEB 4. The Federation of Drug Traders of Andhra Pradesh (FEDTAP) has asked the Government to amend the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, to save druggists from the ordeal of maintaining records.

Speaking to newspersons here today, the federation's general secretary, D. Krishna Reddy, said that life saving drugs under the purview of the Act would become scarce in the next 10 to 15 days because the druggists had stopped stocking them as they felt it burdensome to maintain records. Officials had already checked 5,000 shops and booked cases against 39 druggists and arrested 12 of them under the Act, he said.

He said that the Government had made the Act to deny mafia groups and anti-social elements access to drugs like Morphin, Alprozolam, Codinphosphate, Digifam, Purajafam, Choragifam, Dexapentamine, etc. used for treatment of cancer, psychosomatic diseases or for giving anaesthesia. The druggists were now required to maintain record of sales of these drugs indicating the name of the doctor, patient and quantity sold in Form 6 and keep the details for a period of two years. The Excise Department had been given powers to verify the details at any time.

Mr. Krishna Reddy pointed out that the druggists had been maintaining several records for the Drugs Department and the new Act would bring them under the Excise Department too.

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