Couriers become carriers of prescription drug abuse in Kashmir

Srinagar, Oct 21: The Anantnag district administration has barred courier companies from handling narcotic and psychotropic drugs without prior authorisation, a move aimed at curbing the growing misuse of Tapentadol and Pregabalin, two prescription medicines fueling Kashmir’s latest drug crisis.

The advisory warns courier operators that parcels containing these medicines must be cleared only after scrutiny by the Assistant Drug Controller’s office.

Police have been instructed to conduct regular inspections to ensure compliance.

“It has come to the notice of the authorities that certain elements are misusing courier services for trafficking and illegal transportation of narcotic and psychotropic substances, thereby posing a serious threat to public health and law and order,” the order reads.

Officials said the directive came after investigations revealed traffickers were using courier networks to smuggle large consignments into Kashmir, exploiting a loophole in monitoring regulated medicines.

Addiction specialists and mental health professionals called the move a long-overdue step to tackle the easy availability of controlled substances through courier and online channels.

“Tapentadol and Pregabalin are easily available through illicit courier and online networks,” said Prof Yasir Hussain Rather, head of the Drug De-Addiction and Treatment Centre at SMHS Hospital. “The Anantnag administration’s order is the first concrete step to regulate the misuse of Schedule H and H1 drugs. Other districts should replicate this initiative.”

Prof Rather said both drugs-originally prescribed for chronic pain and nerve disorders, have become widely abused.

“Compared to heroin, which is usually injected, Tapentadol is taken orally and is cheaper. When mixed with benzodiazepines or heroin, the results are often catastrophic,” he said. “So many people whom I know have overdosed on these two prescribed drugs have died.”

Prof Rather said that legitimate patients should not be affected.

“The Drug and Pharmaceutical Department must ensure genuine patients continue to receive prescribed medicines through registered and verified online platforms,” he said.

Assistant Professor at the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS-K), Dr Fazal-e-Roub, said his center regularly treats patients affected by Tapentadol and Pregabalin misuse.

“We recently treated a patient who was brought in a comatose state after consuming a lethal mix of these drugs. He had to be resuscitated,” he said. “Easy access through courier and online networks is keeping doctors on edge.”

Dr Roub, who earned his DM in De-Addiction Psychiatry from PGI Chandigarh, said traffickers increasingly exploit courier services because parents rarely suspect deliveries, making youth an easy target.

“Tapentadol is entering schools and trapping very young users. It’s fast becoming a new gateway drug,” he said.

The drugs are often sold under street names like “Pandas” or “200s” and consumed in full strips, locally called “one cards.”

The crackdown follows several major seizures.

This year, in January, the Police seized Pregabalin strips, Codeine bottles, and Spasmoproxyvon tablets from a courier office at Karan Nagar in Srinagar.

A month later, Drug Control authorities intercepted 190 strips of Tapentadol at Srinagar International Airport.

Over the last two years, thousands of tablets have been recovered from courier hubs in Srinagar, Baramulla, and Anantnag, and several pharmaceutical firms faced license suspensions.

“Courier networks became the preferred route because traditional checkpoints focus on highways, not parcel logistics,” a senior Drug Control official said.

While Tramadol was declared a psychotropic substance under the NDPS Act in 2018, Tapentadol and Pregabalin remain outside the act in Jammu and Kashmir, though prescriptions are mandatory.

Tapentadol is a Schedule H1 drug; Pregabalin is Schedule H, less regulated and without centralised record-keeping.

“The J&K government should request the Centre to include both under NDPS to make trafficking and unauthorized possession strictly punishable,” Dr Rather said.

Health professionals urged other districts to adopt similar measures.

“Anantnag has shown the way. Now others must implement and enforce these checks. The courier route can no longer remain a blind spot in the drug trade,” Dr Roub said.

Authorities said the order was not meant to disrupt legitimate medical trade but to ensure that only verified entities handle such consignments.

“The aim is not to obstruct healthcare but to stop misuse. Genuine pharmaceutical distributors and hospitals will continue to operate under due authorization,” an official said.

Health professionals said the step signals growing recognition that the fight against addiction in Kashmir must move beyond users and dealers – to the logistics networks that feed the crisis.

“Anantnag has taken a courageous first step,” Prof Rather said. “If others follow, we can finally start cutting the supply chain instead of just treating its victims.”