The Codeine Crisis — opioid misuse
Syllabus: General Studies Paper II — Governance and Health / Paper III — role of external state and non-state actors
- What happened
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence — the country’s premier anti-smuggling agency — recently seized 7,500 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup in Patna. As Bihar nears ten years of complete alcohol prohibition, codeine syrups have spread as a cheap, easily available stand-in for alcohol — fuelling addiction and cross-state trafficking, especially among rural youth.
- What is codeine?
- It is a naturally occurring opioid (a pain-and-cough drug from the opium family), obtained from morphine, which in turn comes from the opium poppy plant (Papaver somniferum).
- Medically, it is used as a cough suppressant for a stubborn dry cough — not as a treatment for the common cold.
- By law it is a prescription-only medicine, placed under Schedule H and H1 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940.
- The misuse spiral and the policy response
FROM PROHIBITION TO SUBSTITUTION — THE CODEINE PATHWAY
| THE TRIGGER
Bihar’s strict alcohol ban, plus poverty, pushes vulnerable people toward pharmaceutical substitutes. Codeine is attractive because it is cheap, sedating, and available over the pharmacy counter. |
| THE HARM FROM CHRONIC MISUSE
Growing tolerance and addiction; damage to the liver and kidneys; serious mental-health disorders. An overdose slows breathing dangerously — which can be fatal. |
| THE POLICY DILEMMA
Bihar has labelled codeine syrups as ‘intoxicants’ under its Prohibition and Excise Act of 2016. But a blanket ban can block genuine patients who need the medicine, while doing nothing about the deeper causes — joblessness, poverty and lack of awareness. |
THE INSTITUTIONS AND LAWS INVOLVED
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| Other Important Facts
→ Three ministries, three roles: enforcement sits with Home Affairs, demand-reduction with Social Justice and Empowerment, and drug regulation with Health and Family Welfare. → Schedule H and H1 belong to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 — NOT the Narcotic Drugs Act, 1985. Swapping the two is a classic trap. → Opium poppy = Papaver somniferum. Morphine and codeine are its natural products; heroin is made from morphine. |
THE WAY FORWARD
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| UPSC VALUE BOX | |
| Opioids — the three types | Drugs acting on the body’s opioid receptors. Natural (from the opium poppy): morphine, codeine. Semi-synthetic: heroin. Fully synthetic (man-made): fentanyl, tramadol. |
| Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan | The Drug-Free India Campaign, run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, focused on cutting demand in the worst-affected districts. |
| Directorate of Revenue Intelligence | India’s top anti-smuggling agency, working under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs in the Ministry of Finance. |
With reference to the control of narcotic and prescription drugs in India, consider the following statements:
- The Narcotics Control Bureau, the apex anti-trafficking agency, functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Codeine-based cough syrups are placed under Schedule H/H1 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, which requires a prescription for sale.
- The Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan is run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
How many of the above statements are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
ANSWER: (B) ONLY TWO
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