India's doping shame leads to crackdown on pharmacys selling steroids.



After TIMES NOW expose the doping scandal, Punjab Government is expected to crack the whip on guilty chemists. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on Wednesday (July 6) said the licences of guilty chemists will be cancelled and raids will be conducted to crackdown on other chemists.

Speaking to reporters about the issue Badal today said, "Action will be taken against the chemists who are selling banned drugs without prescription. A criminal case will be filed against such chemists."

The Deputy Chief Minister's reacting comes a day after a TIMES NOW expose on how drugs are available to athletes near a Patiala training centre over the counter.

Even a week after the biggest doping scandal has broken, no one is raising questions about these "strategically-situated" stores, indicating that officialdom doesn't really believe that dope and sports don't mix.

In Patiala , schedule H steroid Stanolozol was still being openly sold for as cheap as Rs 30 for a strip of 10 capsules. All you have to do is ask for it by its brand name, Neurabol. Schedule H drugs, by law, can't be bought without a prescription.

"We have been selling it for many years. There has never been a complaint," assures the salesman at Preet Medical Store, a chemist near Sewa Singh Thikriwala Statue, the commercial district next door to NIS.

He goes on to say, "Ek baar use kar ke dekho... aap baar baar aaoge hamare paas (use it once, you'll come to us again and again)."

Mandeep Kaur, who tested positive, blamed contaminated food supplements from these chemists.

But while Mandeep merely mentioned food supplements, what was discovered was the sheer ease with which steroids could be obtained. A Nandrolone-Decanoate injection, under the brand name of Deca Durabolin (1 ml), is available for Rs 177 along with a valid bill.

Once he gets the drift, the chemist instead of asking for a prescription or even a casual informal query, proudly spreads out the fare, displaying performance-enhancing drugs one after the other on his counter. Each new exhibit offers better results than the previous one.

You don't need a prescription, nor are eyebrows raised when you purchase banned steroids over the counter right at the doorstep of India's premier sports training institute. And if you ask for a receipt, you'll get it.

Even a week after the biggest doping scandal has broken, no one is raising questions about these "strategically-situated" stores, indicating that officialdom doesn't really believe that dope and sports don't mix.

When TOI reached Patiala on Tuesday, schedule H steroid Stanolozol was still being openly sold for as cheap as Rs 30 for a strip of 10 capsules. All you have to do is ask for it by its brand name, Neurabol. Schedule H drugs, by law, can't be bought without a prescription.

"We have been selling it for many years. There has never been a complaint," assures the salesman at Preet Medical Store, a chemist near Sewa Singh Thikriwala Statue, the commercial district next door to NIS.

He goes on to say, "Ek baar use kar ke dekho... aap baar baar aaoge hamare paas (use it once, you'll come to us again and again)."

Mandeep Kaur, who tested positive, blamed contaminated food supplements from these chemists.

But while Mandeep merely mentioned food supplements, what TOI discovered was the sheer ease with which steroids could be obtained. A Nandrolone-Decanoate injection, under the brand name of Deca Durabolin (1 ml), is available for Rs 177 along with a valid bill.

Once he gets the drift, the chemist instead of asking for a prescription or even a casual informal query, proudly spreads out the fare, displaying performance-enhancing drugs one after the other on his counter. Each new exhibit offers better results than the previous one.

When asked for Menabol (containing Stanozolol), Jai Maa Medicos, plying their trade on Lower Mall Patiala, even suggests an alternative - Neurabol for better results. "Athletes and sportspersons prefer Neurabol over Menabol. Though they are one and the same thing, Neurabol is the preferred drug," he says, seemingly oblivious to the storm kicked up by doping.

In Patiala's upmarket area near Rajindra Hospital, some chemists were more circumspect when TOI came looking to purchase over-the-counter steroids and other performance enhancing drugs.

But in and around NIS, it is clear an athlete on the lookout for his or her dope fix doesn't have to cross too many hurdles.

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