Maharashtra cracks down on illegal medicine sales: 13 shops closed, 32 suspended

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has intensified action against the illegal sale of prescription medicines in Nanded district , cancelling the licences of 13 medical stores and suspending 32 others for allegedly selling intoxicant tablets without valid medical prescriptions.

The action followed a special enforcement drive aimed at curbing the misuse of habit forming and psychotropic drugs. During inspections, the FDA found that several pharmacies were selling medicines that are strictly prohibited without a doctor’s prescription. These include drugs such as tramadol, alprazolam, nitrazepam, diazepam, codeine based cough syrups, certain strong painkillers and sleeping pills, all classified under Schedule H and Schedule X of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act due to their high abuse potential.

Assistant Commissioner of Drugs A T Rathod said show cause notices were issued to 48 medical stores . After reviewing their replies, the FDA found most explanations unsatisfactory. Consequently, licences of 32 stores were suspended and 13 were permanently cancelled, while action has been proposed against three other pharmacies.

The FDA also noted that some medical stores have obtained stay orders from the government, temporarily preventing action against them. These stays were granted on procedural grounds such as pending appeals, requests for re verification of records, or claims that inspection norms were not fully followed. The cases are now pending before higher authorities.

Beyond the official action, the situation has exposed a deeper and more uncomfortable reality. If 13 medical stores were found selling intoxicant medicines illegally in just one district of Maharashtra, officials and health observers question how many more would be uncovered if similar inspections were carried out across the state or nationwide. Despite past warnings and high profile cases, including incidents reported from Madhya Pradesh, enforcement drives often remain sporadic rather than continuous.

Public health experts point out that illegal sales flourish in the gaps between inspections, where profit often outweighs responsibility. In the absence of sustained and uniform monitoring, prescription drugs continue to be treated like over the counter items. The ultimate cost, they warn, is borne by ordinary people, families dealing with addiction, youth exposed to misuse, and patients whose access to essential medicines is compromised by abuse and black market demand.