The Food and Drug Administration Department issued orders on Tuesday, under which individual consumers will not be able to buy more than one unit of codeine-based cough syrups.

According to the Drug Controller, A. K. Jain, there are a specific number of units fixed for a company depot, clearing and forwarding agents (C&F), a whole-seller, and a retailer can store and sell.

Codeine is an opiate and morphine prodrug which relieves pain, cough, and diarrhea. Although it is commonly used to alleviate mild to severe pain, it can be quite addictive.

As per orders, the C&F agents and Company depots can sell 500 units of codeine-based cough syrup, whereas wholesalers can store only 1,000 units and sell not more than 100 units of syrups. Further, retailers can not store more than 100 units and sell only one to an individual customer.

This rule also will apply to the sale of high-intensity painkillers based on compounds like tramadol, pentazocine, and buprenorphine. In addition, antidepressants like alprazolam, clonazepam, nitrazepam, diazepam, etc., will also be given out in controlled quantities.

The decision follows the Union government's decision to prevent the misuse of narcotics-based medicine in the country.