Drug hotspots
ANNUAL reports of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) generate eyeball-grabbing headlines, but it is vital to look at the big picture, particularly with regard to drugs. The urgent objective is to firm up pan-India strategies to tackle the drug syndicates as their reach and influence widen. Narrowing the conversation to which state consumes more drugs than the others amounts to trivialising the data. With 26,619 FIRs, Kerala topped the list in the registration of cases under all categories of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in 2022. Maharashtra was second with 13,830 FIRs, followed by Punjab (12,442). Kerala emerging as the new drug hotspot gives no reason to the other states to be relieved at having shed a bit of notoriety.
The NCRB data is deeply worrying. It indicates rise in drug production, smuggling and consumption through the length and breadth of the country. Last year, 681 people, including 116 women, lost their lives due to drug overdose in India. At 144, Punjab accounted for the highest number of such deaths, followed by 117 in Rajasthan and 74 in Madhya Pradesh. Punjab saw 7,433 cases being registered pertaining to possession of drugs for trafficking, the highest in the country. It also recorded 5,009 FIRs for possession of drugs for personal use, up from 4,206 in 2021.
The NCRB data is ample proof that the fight against drugs is now a countrywide challenge and that Punjab is not registering all the cases. It requires inter-state plans and Central assistance. While the rise in registration of NDPS cases reflects a proactive approach by certain state governments, the poor conviction rate is a huge letdown. Delayed or weak chargesheets and catching peddlers instead of drug lords are all effectually fuelling the menace.
