Chandigarh, Feb. 6 -- The high court on Thursday sought a response from the Punjab government and the Centre on a PIL challenging 2025 rules governing the dispensing of de-addiction drugs such as buprenorphine. The PIL filed by Dr Paramjeet Singh Ranu seeks quashing the Punjab Substance Use Disorder Treatment, Counselling and Rehabilitation Centres Rules, 2025, terming it a brazen attempt to nullify the operation and effect of 2019 high court order, consequently enhancing the menace of drug addiction and causing incalculable harm and injury to public at large especially innocent and unsuspecting youth of the country in general and of Punjab in particular. According to the plea, a newly created category of centres, viz. substance use disorder treatment centre (Outpatient facility only), which are essentially private psychiatric clinics, would get an entry to administer treatment. The PIL says the state arbitrarily relaxed the regulatory and monitoring mechanism for dispensing de-addiction drugs by de-addiction centres (OPD facility only). The intention behind the enactment of the rules is to bring private OPD clinics under the aegis of the 2025 rules, regardless of the fact that it would lead to a spurt in the case-load of persons afflicted with drug abuse because of the unregulated supply of highly addictive opioid drugs. "This legislative edict presents a calamitous situation, especially in Punjab, where drug abuse has already ravaged the lives of thousands of promising young men and women. This shall not only result in unregulated supply and consumption of opioid drugs but also has the potential of pilferage of such highly addictive drugs," it said.HTC...