Jammu, Oct. 4 -- As the police crackdown on drugs in Jammu and Kashmir intensifies, the narcotics trade has simply changed its route. Large consignments of heroin, charas and other contraband are being seized and peddlers are being pursued, yet medicines meant for pain relief and other ailments have quietly become the new instruments of addiction. At the local level, this form of abuse is being referred to by names such as "Tapal."
Police acknowledge the shift. Investigations show that the misuse of drugs such as tramadol and tapentadol is rising steadily. These are prescribed by doctors for severe pain and certain serious conditions, but people with addiction are now consuming them in large quantities. The trend has become a fresh worry f...