Punjab's 27,000 Chemists Stop Selling Pregabalin, Habit-Forming Drugs After Jhota Murder Raidsਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ 27,000 ਕੈਮਿਸਟਾਂ ਨੇ ਪ੍ਰੀਗਾਬਾਲਿਨ ਸਮੇਤ ਨਸ਼ੀਲੀਆਂ ਦਵਾਈਆਂ ਦੀ ਵਿਕਰੀ ਰੋਕੀ

The Punjab Chemists Association (PCA) has told its roughly 27,000 members to stop selling pregabalin and other habit-forming prescription medicines with immediate effect, a move that could leave patients with anxiety, nerve pain and psychiatric conditions struggling to find their prescribed drugs. The association announced the decision on Sunday, 25 October, saying legitimate chemists are being treated as suspects after the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa.

What has the chemists' body decided?

According to The Tribune and The Times of India, the PCA has directed all unit presidents, secretaries and members to halt sales of pregabalin and similar medicines, and to return existing stock to wholesalers and distributors through authorised channels, with the exercise expected to finish by the end of the month. NDTV India reported that tramadol is also covered. Sudarshan Chaudhary, the association's vice-president, told The Tribune that licensed chemists follow lengthy record-keeping procedures for psychotropic medicines yet are being branded as drug peddlers.

Why now?

The decision follows raids by Punjab's drug regulators after Jhota, an anti-drug activist, was shot dead at a medical store in Mansa on 13 October while hosting a Facebook Live session. The chemist accused in that case, Ashwani Kumar, is in CBI custody. The PCA says the crackdown has swept up genuine retailers. General secretary G S Chawla told the Times of India that "for mismatches as small as four tablets to one strip, the genuine chemists are at the receiving end".

What are the chemists demanding?

At an online meeting on Sunday attended by representatives from 22 districts (Moga was the only one absent), the association decided to keep sales suspended until the government responds, Hindustan Times reported. It wants raids to be preceded by notice, shops not to be sealed immediately over stock discrepancies, a lenient approach to minor record mismatches, and a chance to explain before licences are suspended. Ludhiana chemists had already begun returning stock on Monday, HT said.

What happens to patients?

The Tribune noted that people prescribed these medicines by psychiatrists and other doctors could face difficulty. The association has suggested that the government make the medicines available to genuine patients through government dispensaries, civil hospitals and Jan Aushadhi Kendras while retailers stay out. The government has not yet announced an alternative arrangement in the reports reviewed. Pregabalin is due to move under Schedule H1 of the Drugs Rules, which tightens prescription record-keeping, from 12 November, according to a Government of India notification cited by the Times of India.

Is pregabalin banned in Punjab?

No. Registered chemists can legally dispense it against a valid prescription. The halt is a voluntary decision by the chemists' association, not a government ban.

Which medicines are affected?

Reports name pregabalin, widely prescribed for nerve pain and anxiety, and other habit-forming prescription drugs; NDTV India also names tramadol.

Until when will the sale remain suspended?

The association says it will continue until the government addresses its concerns about sudden inspections and action over stock-record discrepancies.