The Punjab Government has dispensed 56.48 crore buprenorphine tablets over the past four-and-a-half years to people undergoing de-addiction treatment across the state, according to official data. The tablets are used in opioid substitution therapy to help addicts overcome drug dependence.A committee comprising MLAs cutting across party lines has questioned the high dependence on buprenorphine. It has asked the government to devise a mechanism to ensure patients were eventually freed from all forms of addiction rather than becoming dependent on medication.At the same time, the committee has expressed concern over the functioning of outpatient opioid assisted treatment (OOAT) clinics, observing that several addicts appeared to be merely shifting dependence from opioids to buprenorphine.A more startling revelation is the steep rise in the supply of these tablets to Punjab’s jails, highlighting the scale of addiction behind bars. This year alone, 8.87 crore tablets have been supplied to prisons by the Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC) compared to 1.17 crore in 2022. Between 2022 and 2026, 40,830 inmates have been registered for treatment inside jails.The figures were disclosed in the “129th Report of the Committee on Public Undertakings” that reviewed the functioning of the PHSC for 2026-27. It was tabled in the Vidhan Sabha on Thursday by committee chairman and AAP MLA Jagrup Singh Gill.The 122-page report stated that while 45.42 crore (2mg) tablets were dispensed to 3.17 lakh addicts registered at the OOAT clinics, 11.06 crore (0.4 mg) tablets were dispensed between 2022 and June 2026.Reacting to the findings, Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh said the increase in supply reflected the government’s decision to establish treatment centres and OOAT clinics both outside and inside prisons. “Doctors and psychologists have been appointed in jails to help inmates overcome addiction. Sports and skill development activities have also been introduced to aid rehabilitation. We are successfully weaning away addicts from opioid drugs,” he said.According to the report, the corporation purchased 7.39 crore tablets till June this year. These supplies were meant for government-run OOAT clinics and do not include tablets procured by private de-addiction centres. The committee also flagged the mushrooming of illegal de-addiction centres, noting that three such centres were busted in Amritsar in recent months. When committee members questioned Health Department officials about how these unauthorised centres were sourcing buprenorphine tablets, the officials expressed ignorance.The report stated that the number of patients seeking treatment at OOAT clinics had risen from nearly two lakh in 2022 to 3.17 lakh currently, with about 65 per cent of them in the 18-35 age group. Following the launch of the state government’s ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign, the number of addicts seeking institutional treatment has risen sharply, prompting the government to expand the capacity of its free treatment centres to 5,000 beds. The number of patients requiring admission has increased from around 600 earlier to nearly 3,400 now. The report further stated that 70,766 patients were undergoing treatment, an increase of nearly one-and-a-half times over previous years.