Addicts use codes to procure medicines
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Sangrur, December 13
Coke for Corex, kaju (cashew nut) for painkiller capsules, ‘kali nagni’ for opium, lal ghoda (red horse) for proxyvon painkiller and neela ghoda (blue horse) for pravonplas painkiller. These are the codes used by drug addicts for referring to these medicines, which they use as drugs.

Mohan Sharma, who is working as an administrator at the Red Cross De-addiction Centre here since 2005, revealed these codes.

Sharma, who has also written his experiences with addicts in a book “Nashe Vich Rurda Punjab”, says: “These names are used by addicts for procuring drugs from suppliers and also to communicate with other addicts.”

Sharma asserts that besides procuring drugs from medical shops, the addicts also avail the services of suppliers running mobile shops. They use code language - “Yeh slip doctor sahib ne bheji hai” (this slip has been sent by the doctor) - to procure their quota of medicines used as drugs from chemist shops while some suppliers also keep these medicines in scooters.

Sharma adds that some medical shops have even started giving home delivery of drugs. They also give them offers like they give one strip or one bottle (syrups) free of cost for the purchase of four to five strips or bottles.

Drug addicts, who are undergoing de-addiction at the centre, confirmed the codes being used by them. The police said it knew about these codes being used by drug addicts and efforts were on to arrest people selling drugs to them.