Essential narcotic drugs fall under Central rules, clarifies Karnataka Health Department

Bengaluru: The State Health Department has clarified that Essential Narcotic Drugs notified by the Central Government and used by Registered Medical Institutions (RMIs) in Karnataka are regulated solely under the Centre’s rules and not under Karnataka’s NDPS Rules.

The department’s Principal Secretary, Harsh Gupta, issued a memorandum on Tuesday, clarifying the provisions of the Central Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and Karnataka’s NDPS Rules regarding the possession, transport, sale, purchase, consumption, and use of essential narcotic drugs by RMIs.

Gupta noted that it had come to his attention that essential narcotic drugs were still being subjected to Karnataka's NDPS Rules, despite a 2014 amendment to the NDPS Act that authorised the Central Government to notify certain narcotics as essential for medical and scientific use.

As a result, the authority to regulate the manufacture, sale, possession, transportation, interstate import and export, and use of drugs designated as Essential Narcotic Drugs remains with the Centre under the Central NDPS Rules.

According to a 2015 notification, methyl morphine (commonly known as codeine), ethyl morphine and its salts (including dionine), fentanyl, hydrocodone, methadone, morphine, and its salts (including all preparations containing more than 0.2% morphine), oxycodone, and dihydroxy codeinone are classified as Essential Narcotic Drugs.

"However, it has been brought to the notice of the undersigned that hospitals and medical institutions wanting to stock morphine and fentanyl, which have been notified as Essential Narcotic Drugs, are still being asked to comply with Karnataka’s NDPS Rules," Gupta wrote.

He further clarified that apart from these drugs, medical access to other narcotic substances manufactured in Karnataka will continue to be regulated under the state's NDPS Rules.