Published Jun 30, 2026 | 10:54 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 30, 2026 | 10:54 PM
The "viper high" claim quickly opened scientific discussions.
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday, 30 June, withdrew a claim he had made in the Assembly that drug addicts were using juvenile vipers to get a high. He said his statement was factually incorrect.
The correction came a day after Chennithala had told the Assembly, during the discussion on Budget demands for grants on Monday, 29 June, that some parlours in Kerala allegedly used baby vipers to bite the tongues of addicts seeking a high.
He made remarks while explaining the extent of drug abuse in the state during a discussion on the government’s anti-drug campaign, Operation Toofan: The Narco Hunt.
But the “viper high” claim quickly opened scientific discussions.
Dr Shimna Aziz challenged the statement, pointing out that viper venom is hemotoxic and attacks the circulatory system, not the nervous system. A bite on the tongue, she said, would rapidly spread venom through the bloodstream, making it potentially fatal or causing permanent organ damage.
She also warned that such misinformation could encourage dangerous behaviour.
Dr Aziz further noted that while cobras and common kraits possess neurotoxic venom affecting the nervous system, their bites are equally life-threatening and cannot be considered a means of intoxication.
Responding to the criticism, Chennithala acknowledged that his reference to baby vipers was incorrect and accepted Dr Aziz’s version in a Facebook post. His clarification also indicated that he had made similar references in earlier public interactions before repeating the claim in the Assembly.
The episode, however, ended on a lighter note.
Appreciating her intervention, Chennithala invited Dr Aziz to join Operation Toofan as a “Toofan Warrior” in the fight against drug abuse, turning a fact-check into an unexpected invitation to support the government’s anti-drug campaign.
