Establishing pan-Indian tactics to combat drug syndicates as their influence and reach grow is an urgent goal. It trivialises the statistics to limit the discussion to which state uses drugs more than the others.
Kerala topped the list in 2022 for the total number of cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, with 26,619 FIRs. With 13,830 FIRs, Maharashtra came in second, and Punjab came in third (12,442).
Source: Pexels
The other states should not feel relieved that Kerala has become the new drug hotspot while losing some of its prominence.The NCRB data raises serious concerns. It denotes an increase in drug manufacturing, trafficking, and use across the entire nation. 681 persons in India died from drug overdoses last year, 116 of them were women.
Punjab had the greatest number of these deaths—144—followed by Rajasthan (117) and Madhya Pradesh (74). Punjab has the greatest number of drug possession cases in the nation—7,433—that are related to drug trafficking. Additionally, 5,009 FIRs were filed for drug possession for personal use, an increase from 4,206 in 2021.
Source: The Lallantop
The NCRB data provides strong evidence that Punjab is not recording every drug case and that the war on drugs is becoming a national issue. Central support and interstate strategies are necessary. The low conviction rate is a major disappointment, even though the increase in NDPS case registrations indicates a proactive attitude by several state administrations. The threat is essentially being fueled by weak or delayed chargesheets and the capture of peddlers rather than drug bosses.
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