Archive · 8 Oct 2026
Punjab Prison Buprenorphine Use Surges, Raising Addiction Concerns
Punjab uses medicines called buprenorphine and naloxone to help people stop using stronger opioids such as heroin.
The medicines are meant to be given with medical care and counselling.
But the number of these pills supplied to prisons has risen sharply, and many more inmates are registered for treatment.
The High Court has asked the government to explain what is happening.
Some experts worry that pills may be misused or traded in prison, especially when there are too few doctors and counsellors.
Others say the medicine is safer than heroin and can reduce the danger of overdose and infections.
They also say that people leaving prison may return to stronger drugs without continued treatment.
The disagreement is about how to provide treatment safely, not whether prison conditions and addiction need attention.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court asked the state government to explain the extensive use of opioid-substitution medicines in prisons.
A government reply said nearly 45% of inmates in Punjab’s prisons were seeking drug-abuse treatment, and 83% had no prior treatment history.
Prison supplies of buprenorphine rose from about 46 lakh tablets in 2022 to more than 80 lakh in 2025.
The number of inmates registered with prison de-addiction clinics increased from 23,367 in 2022 to 40,830 by June 2026.
Experts disagree over whether the treatment is being misused or is an important way to reduce the harms of heroin and other opioid use.
- Who
- The Punjab government, inmates receiving opioid-substitution treatment, and the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
- What
- The High Court sought an explanation for rising buprenorphine use and treatment registrations in Punjab’s prisons.
- When
- The government’s figures cover 2022 to June 2026; the matter was listed for its next hearing on October 13.
- Where
- Prisons across Punjab, including Mansa district jail.
- Why
- The court and experts raised concerns about the sharp increase in medication use, possible misuse, and whether prison treatment is adequately supervised.
Concerns about misuse and dependence
Arguments for harm reduction
Rising use in prisons
Concerns about misuse and dependence
Campaigners and a legislative committee questioned whether the sharp increase in pill supplies reflects misuse or growing dependence on the substitute medicine.
Arguments for harm reduction
A prison psychiatrist said opioid-substitution treatment can reduce the harms of heroin use and that dependence on treatment medicines is not the same as addiction to heroin.
Treatment supervision
Concerns about misuse and dependence
Experts and lawyers said staff shortages and weak counselling may leave pills open to misuse, trading, or distribution without proper monitoring.
Arguments for harm reduction
Medical officers say medicines are administered under supervision, and the psychiatrist argued that continuing opioid-substitution therapy after release can count as a positive outcome.
Role of treatment in prison
Concerns about misuse and dependence
Critics warn that pills alone may be a temporary fix and say the state has not specified how many inmates have recovered.
Arguments for harm reduction
The psychiatrist described buprenorphine as the lesser of two evils in a severe drug crisis, citing reduced risks such as injection-related infections and overdose.
- Prison treatment registrations
- Rose from 23,367 in 2022 to 40,830 by June 2026.
- Inmates seeking treatment
- Nearly 45% of inmates in Punjab’s prisons, according to the state’s reply to the High Court.
- No previous treatment
- The government said 83% of drug-dependent inmates had not sought substance-abuse treatment before entering jail.
- Pills supplied to prison clinics
- Increased from approximately 46 lakh tablets in 2022 to more than 80 lakh in 2025.
- First-half 2025 supply
- The article says 45 lakh buprenorphine pills had been supplied to jails in the first six months of that year.
- Prisons with de-addiction facilities
- Eight of Punjab’s 26 prisons, according to the government’s affidavit.
- Statewide pill procurement
- The legislative committee said more than 43 crore buprenorphine pills were procured over four and a half years.