Cheap medicines coloured, sold as Yaba in Rajshahi

Cheap medicines are allegedly being coloured and sold as yaba in several parts of Rajshahi city, raising concerns about the health risks faced by drug users who may unknowingly consume them.

According to local complaints and reports, tablets costing around Tk 1 are being coloured red or pink with marker or sign-pen ink and then sold as yaba for Tk 250 to Tk 300 each.

The alleged practice has been reported in areas including the railway-line area of ID Baganpara, Baro Rasta, Budhpara, Court Dhalan, Guripara, Rajshahi New Market and Haripur.

Local sources said some of the tablets allegedly being passed off as yaba include Mayapil, a contraceptive pill, and Duralax, a medicine used to treat constipation.

The tablets are reportedly coloured to make them resemble yaba and then sold to people seeking cheaper alternatives to the illegal drug.

Rafiul Islam, a drug user, said he bought two tablets for Tk 280 each from a seller, believing they were yaba. After taking them, he realised they were medicines, saying they increased his urge to defecate.

Another drug user, Samsul Islam, claimed that some medicines were being coloured and sold as yaba, with birth-control pills allegedly among the products being used.

Medical information indicates that Mayapil is not a narcotic. It is a combined oral contraceptive containing ethinylestradiol and levonorgestrel in its hormone tablets and is used to prevent pregnancy.

Duralax 5mg is also not a narcotic. Its active ingredient, bisacodyl, is a stimulant laxative used to treat constipation and, in some cases, to clear the bowel before medical examinations.

Public health expert Shankar K Biswas said yaba is a narcotic, while Duralax and Mayapil are not. He warned that taking medicines after they have been altered with colouring agents, or using them without a medical need or medical advice, could cause health complications.

Crime analyst Subrata Kumar Pal described the alleged practice as a possible new tactic in the illegal drug market. He said intensified anti-drug operations could encourage unscrupulous groups to exploit demand among drug users through alternative methods.

Rajshahi Metropolitan Police spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner Gaziur Rahman said police operations against narcotics were continuing. Several drug-selling spots had already been dismantled and a number of people arrested, he said.

However, he said he was unaware of the specific allegation that Mayapil and Duralax were being coloured and sold as yaba.

District police spokesperson Additional Superintendent of Police Sabina Yasmin said anti-narcotics operations were also continuing and that the alleged practice of colouring medicines could be investigated if specific information was provided.

The allegations highlight the risks of deliberately altering legitimate medicines and selling them as illicit drugs. Such practices can result in financial deception and expose users to medicines they may not recognise or understand.