Udupi: It is a huge challenge for the police to crack down on manufacturing and supply of synthetic drugs in Udupi district. The police are unable to curb the sale of synthetic drugs which creates the same high, Udupi Superintendent of Police Nisha James said.

Nisha James was addressing the gathering at a workshop for investigation officers on synthetic drugs consumption organised by the Forensic medicine department of KMC and Centre for Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances at SP office in Udupi on Thursday. Besides drugs there has been a rise in usage of synthetic drugs in Manipal. 
The department will initiate strict measures to free the college and university campuses from substance abuse, she stressed.

There is lack of information on synthetic drugs among the officials. As a result, police are not able to track down the supply chain of synthetic drugs in the district, Nisha James said.

Dr Srikumar Menon of Centre for Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances said the accurate results will be received only after drug addict undergoes blood tests. But it is difficult to identify the consumption of synthetic drugs even after undergoing tests.

New designer drugs enter market daily. According to the report released by UNODC (United Nations Office on drugs and crime) on June 26, 2019, there are 643 psychoactive substance designer drugs registered in the world as on December 2015. All these designer drugs are available in the market.

He said designer drugs are available in tablet, powder form in the market. The drugs that are used in research reach the addicts. There has been a rise in consumption of synthetic drugs among college students. The colleges should get the blood samples of the students tested regularly, to check ganja menace on the campus, Menon said.

Several students consume these synthetic drugs for concentration during the examinations. Drugs that are available in stamp and sticker models are more dangerous. These kinds of drugs are used in rave parties. If the drug-laced stickers are kept below the tongue, then it will give the kick for 36 hours. For preparing one LSD stamp, about 360 microgram drugs are used. 

Such stamp and stickers form drugs are used by highest number of students in Kerala and Goa. If anyone is caught using SLD stamps drugs, then he can be punished for 20 years of jail term, Dr Menon added.