Tihar women inmates found indulging in drugs

Thanks to some of their entrepreneurial colleagues, female inmates at Tihar Jail are surreptitiously getting high on a ‘blue pill’ that promises to make the dreary woes of a life behind bars more tolerable, sources claim.

Thanks to some of their entrepreneurial colleagues, female inmates at Tihar Jail are surreptitiously getting high on a ‘blue pill’ that promises to make the dreary woes of a life behind bars more tolerable, sources claim.

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Jail authorities became privy to the prevailing underground recreational drug abuse after a large consignment of spasmo proxyvon was unearthed from a female prisoner’s cell last week.

The side-effects of the drug, which mimics the effects of opium, include kidney failure and cardiac toxicity. Users have been seen to pop as many as 100 of them a day. “During checking, we stumbled upon a huge dosage of the drug from one of the cells in Jail 6. Inquiry revealed that some inmates are selling the drug, which makes one feel high and generally relaxed, to potential customers for Rs 50 per pill,” an official admitted.

A cheap though highly addictive over-the-counter prescription painkiller which mimics the effect of naturally generated endorphins, over consumption of the said drug can be lethal if not permanently damaging to the central nervous system.

“While one of its chief ingredients, dextropropoxyphen is opium-like, dicyclomine can be highly addictive. The tablet is good enough for acute pain relief but has been seen to be widely abused by users,” said Dr Nimesh Desai, director, IBHAS.

Meanwhile, sources claim that inmates are currently popping as many as four of these pills at once to ensure a day-long high — or a good night’s sleep, depending on the quantity they are able to access.

Sunil Gupta, legal officer and spokesperson Tihar Jail said, “No such seizure from the jail premises has come to light recently.”

“Because of the stringent checking, it is not possible to be able to smuggle anything inside. However, since it is a prescription drug it might be possible for inmates to get it prescribed to them - but not without proper medical clearance from a competent doctor. We will look into the matter,” said a senior Tihar Jail official.