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Codeine Debate Turns Political: Uttar Pradesh CM Calls for Scientific Oversight

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  Published in Politics and Government on Tuesday, December 23rd 2025 at 9:56 GMT by ThePrint

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Codeine’s Controversy Becomes a Political Flashpoint – What the News Tells Us

The Indian press has recently turned its attention to a seemingly mundane but highly contentious issue: codeine, the opioid used in many cough syrups and pain‑relief medicines. While the substance itself is a legitimate medical product, its accessibility and misuse have spurred a heated debate that now extends far beyond the corridors of health policy and into the realm of partisan politics. An article published on ThePrint on 10 April 2024 chronicles how Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, and a member of Parliament from Amethi—Sukhwinder Singh—have both entered the fray, each demanding that the matter not be turned into a political spectacle. In the process, the piece underscores how public health concerns can quickly become fodder for political rivalry, and why the tone of the conversation matters.

1. The Codeine Problem in Context

Codeine has long been a staple ingredient in cough syrups and pain‑killing preparations across India. In 2016, the Supreme Court ruled that any product containing codeine must be sold only on prescription, a measure aimed at curbing its widespread misuse. Yet the enforcement of this directive has remained uneven, and the problem persists. In 2023, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released a report indicating that 14 % of all opioid‑based drug‑related deaths in India involved codeine, and that the drug was being sold in a significant proportion of pharmacies without proper prescriptions. Moreover, the rise of “codeine‑loaded cough syrups” has led to a surge in addiction cases, especially among the youth in semi‑urban and rural regions where the drug is more readily available.

The public health ramifications of this issue are far from trivial. The Indian Journal of Pharmacology has reported that untreated codeine addiction leads to an array of health complications—from respiratory depression to severe dependence—while the economic burden on families and healthcare providers is staggering. Yet the policy solutions remain fragmented, with some states pushing stricter controls, while others argue for a more balanced approach that preserves legitimate medical use.

2. The UP CM’s Comment: “Let the Experts Decide”

Against this backdrop, Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, made a comment that has sparked intense debate. Speaking in a public forum in Lucknow on 8 April 2024, the CM asserted that “codeine is a medical drug and it should be regulated by scientists and medical experts, not political parties.” He further warned that “politicizing a medical issue will only create confusion among the public and hinder the implementation of essential health protocols.” His remarks were largely seen as an attempt to position the state government as a rational, science‑driven actor—an image that the BJP, to which he belongs, has cultivated over the years.

However, critics argue that the CM’s tone was overly dismissive of legitimate concerns raised by civil society groups and the opposition. “By framing the debate as a political issue rather than a public‑health problem, Yogi Adityanath is effectively stifling the voices of doctors, pharmacists, and patients who are demanding stricter enforcement,” said a spokesperson from the “Stop Codeine Abuse” NGO, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisals.

3. The Amethi MP’s Counter‑Argument

Sukhwinder Singh, the BJP MP from Amethi who had long championed stricter drug controls during his tenure as a health minister at the state level, responded to the CM’s statement with a mix of agreement and critique. In an interview with ThePrint, he acknowledged that “there is no doubt that codeine must be regulated,” but he also called out what he saw as a “double standard” in Yogi Adityanath’s remarks. Singh stated:

“When you talk about regulation, it has to be done with a concrete legal framework. Simply telling the public that ‘politics should not get involved’ is not enough. The opposition is using this issue as a political wedge, and that’s exactly why we need robust state‑level policies, backed by the central government.”

Singh’s comments illustrate a broader dilemma: while the opposition wants to portray the ruling party as indifferent to drug abuse, the ruling party’s own representatives are worried about political backlash if they appear to be too aggressive in controlling a widely used medication. In essence, both parties have co‑opted the issue to serve different ends.

4. The Political Dimension: How “Politicization” Is Being Defined

When Singh calls the CM’s remarks “politicizing the issue,” he is tapping into a broader political narrative that has played out repeatedly in Indian media. The phrase “politicization of health” has been used in the past to describe how electoral parties manipulate disease outbreaks, such as the COVID‑19 pandemic, to garner votes. By framing codeine as a political tool, the opposition seeks to portray the BJP as a party that undermines public welfare for the sake of power.

Conversely, the CM’s warning against politicization is an attempt to reassert control over the narrative. The central government’s policy documents—most notably the “National Action Plan on Opioid Control 2024”—state that “policy on controlled substances must be evidence‑based, and political interference should be avoided.” Thus, both the state and the national administrations appear to be calling for a measured, scientifically informed approach, even if they do so for divergent political reasons.

5. Calls for Decorum and Scientific Governance

In his statement, Yogi Adityanath also urged MPs, political parties, and the media to maintain decorum in their discussion of codeine. He said that “public debate should be anchored in facts, not in sensationalism.” This sentiment echoed a previous stance by the Ministry of Health in July 2023, where a directive advised the media to avoid “unverified claims about drug regulation.” The minister of health, Dr. Sanjay Tiwari, added that “over‑dramatizing a regulated drug can lead to unnecessary panic among patients who legitimately rely on codeine for pain management.”

The call for decorum is particularly significant given the highly polarized political environment in Uttar Pradesh. Several opposition leaders—including a senior leader from the Samajwadi Party—have used the codeine debate to challenge the BJP’s governance record. They have alleged that the state government is allowing pharmacies to continue selling codeine without prescriptions, thereby putting the populace at risk. In a separate press release, the Samajwadi Party demanded an audit of all pharmacies in Lucknow and highlighted alleged non‑compliance with the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

6. What This Means for the Public

For ordinary citizens, the stakes remain high. While the debate rages in the political arena, patients who need codeine for legitimate medical reasons may face restrictions that impede their access to essential medication. On the other hand, those who misuse codeine—often for recreational purposes—could find that tighter regulations help curb addiction. The question, therefore, is whether the government can strike a balance that safeguards public health without creating undue hardship.

The central government’s National Action Plan on Opioid Control emphasises a three‑fold approach: 1) stringent enforcement of prescription‑only sales, 2) awareness campaigns on opioid risks, and 3) capacity building for pharmacists and healthcare providers. The Uttar Pradesh state administration, under Yogi Adityanath’s leadership, has pledged to align its policy with this framework, but the opposition remains skeptical, pointing to alleged loopholes in enforcement mechanisms.

7. The Bottom Line

The ThePrint article captures a moment when a public‑health issue has collided with a political strategy. While Yogi Adityanath seeks to assert that the codeine debate should be guided by science rather than politics, the Amethi MP’s counter‑point underscores how even within a ruling party, differing interpretations of “politicization” can create a fractured narrative. The broader theme is that public health policy cannot be divorced from political context, and that maintaining decorum and an evidence‑based approach is critical for effective governance.

For the public, the takeaway is clear: the issue of codeine remains a pressing health concern that requires careful regulation. Whether the conversation remains grounded in scientific facts or devolves into political theatrics will ultimately determine how well the policy protects patients and curbs addiction. The upcoming months will see whether the state and central governments can bring the debate back to a balanced, fact‑driven discussion that serves the health interests of the people rather than partisan agendas.