In the first six months of 2026 alone, another 6 crore tablets have already been procured, taking the cumulative total to 43.44 crore tablets. Officials informed the committee that some patients dissolve Buprenorphine tablets in water and inject the solution intravenously, creating a fresh pattern of needle based addiction. Members asked how Buprenorphine tablets were reaching such centres when they lacked licences and qualified medical staff. Gill said that while around 1.17 crore tablets were supplied to jails in 2022, the figure had increased to nearly 8.87 crore in 2026, an almost eight-fold jump. After curbing such misuse, the government had encouraged patients to take prescribed de-addiction medicines under medical supervision.