HI

2. Introduction
The worst form of abuse for the human body comes from
drugs. They destroy a person from inside outwards. It
starts affecting the organs eventually reaching the brain
and can even become fatal when taken in a large quantity
or for a long time. Drugs are usually taken because they
seem to be a temporary solution of a problem or they
provide solace by calming the senses, but that also shows
how detrimental they can prove to be to one’s health.
Playing with the nervous system can never turn out to be
good in the longer run.
There are various forms of drug abuse or as the bigger
term is known, substance abuse. It entails drugs, alcohol
and everything that makes a person high and calms their
senses rendering them inactive for a couple of hours or
days. The biggest myth related to drug abuse is that
people who do it lack moral values which is not the case.
Any person can get addicted to drugs willingly or
unwillingly. The problem is some don’t find out the harm it
does to their health till it is very late. Lately the youth
seems to have become a major part of the population
which is pro drug abuse and this could be because of any
reason- the company, a temporary solution to problems or
medication. Drug abuse in most cases affects the brain
because if stops your nerve sells from sending and
receiving the message to or from the brain, and because it
is an unnatural phenome, it can hamper the way your brain
functions forever.

3. Drug Problem
Over the last few decades, drug consumption has become one of the
biggest problems affecting millions of children and youth in the country.
There are few states and cities in India which have taken the lead in drug
consumption. Punjab in the Northern part of India has been facing a drug
epidemic since a very long time, though it is considered to be one of the
most developed states of the country. Even our national capital is not
lagging behind. States like Mizoram, Manipur, Goa and Mumbai are other
prominent states affected by the drug problems. The government of India
recently has given the nod to conduct nation-wide survey to assess drug
abuse.

4. DRUGS IN INDIA
• We have an addiction problem in India.
• In Punjab the numbers are ridiculous—nearly 75% of its
youth are severely addicted to drugs, that's 3 out of
every 4 children.
• Mumbai, Hyderabad and other cities around the country
are quickly gaining a reputation for their drug usage; and
the population in each of these cities continues to grow.
• Delhi is filled with rehab centres trying to keep up with
the flow of addicts. Over 500 centres across our country
work together to nurse addicts back into healthy
productive lifestyles—but addiction is becoming too
much for India.
• The menace of drugs and alcohol has woven itself deep
into the fabric of our society. As its effects reach towards
our youth, India's future generation will have to
compete with drugs like cannabis, alcohol and tobacco.
• More Indian youngsters struggle with addiction than
ever before. Peer pressure, adolescent immaturity and
irresponsible parenting is the three-headed monster
luring our children towards addiction and a life of
suffering and regret.

5. Drug Problem: The
Government’s Survey in Punjab
• In 2015, a study was commissioned by
the Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment (MoSJE), Government
of India, to find out the numbers of
opioid/drugs dependent individuals in
Punjab. The survey was conducted by
the Society for Promotion of Youth &
Masses (SPYM) and a team of
researchers from the National Drug
Dependence Treatment Centre
(NDDTC), AIIMS, New Delhi, in
association with the Department of
Health and Family Welfare,
Government of Punjab.
• Ten districts were covered in the
study: Bathinda, Ferozepur, Jalandhar,
Kapurthala, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur,
Patiala, Sangria, Moga, and Tarn Taran.

6. Some interesting facts
• The total number of drug users in
Punjab 2,32,856.
• 89% of drug addicts are educated and
literate.
• 83% of drug addicts in Punjab have
jobs.
• Almost all drug addicts in Punjab are
male (99%).
• Half of Punjab’s drug addicts are from
villages (56%).
• The most common drug consumed is
Heroin (chitta). 53% of drug addicts
surveyed claimed this.
• On an average, Rs. 1400 is spent on
heroin by drug addicts every day in
Punjab. Opium users spend Rs. 340
per day and pharmaceutical opioid
users spent Rs. 265 per day.

7. Factors that caused drug
problem in the state
• A farming crisis caused by
an over-reliance on cash
crops
• Lack of job opportunities
• Easy availability of narcotic
substances
• Ties between drug
associations, organized
criminal gangs, politicians
and crook elements of the
law enforcement agencies

8. Drug Problem: The
Government’s Survey in Delhi
• In a recent survey by the
Government on drug problem in
the national capital, it was found
that children as young as 9-
years-old are known to have
been affected by drug abuse.
This was the first time a major
government survey was
undertaken on Delhi’s street
children. The survey was
conducted by Delhi
government’s women and child
development department in
association with NDDTC at
AIIMS.

9. Some interesting facts reveled in
the survey are as follows:
• Around 70,000 street children are in the
habit of consuming drugs in any form.
• 20,000 consume tobacco.
• Around 10,000 children are into alcohol
consumption.
• 7000 children are consuming inhalants.
• 5600 children are in the habit of taking
cannabis.
• Around 800 are addictive to heroin.
• There are few who are addictive to
pharmaceutical opioids and sedatives.
• The strange fact revealed in the survey was
that children in the age group of 9 and 10
years have already started consuming
tobacco, alcohol while heroin or opium
addictions started at the young age of 12-
13 years.

10. Modi on Drugs free India
Says drug abuse should be treated as a ‘psycho-social-medical’ problem
Describing drug abuse as a “national pain” that caused darkness,
destruction and devastation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the
people on Sunday to come together for a “drugs-free India.”
In the third edition of “Mann Ki Baat,” his now-popular radio address to
the nation, the Prime Minister said drug abuse was a “psycho-social-
medical” problem and needed to be addressed as such.
“When I was Gujarat Chief Minister, several officers would come to me
for leave and share the pain about their children mired in the world of
drugs … once when I was in Punjab, I saw the anger and pain of mothers
there,” Mr. Modi said.
He commended the news media for their role in spreading awareness of
the menace, and assured the nation that a helpline would be set up soon
to address the issue better.
“At a recent conference of Directors-General of Police held in Assam, I
shared my pain and anger on the issue with officials, and asked them to
find out ways to address this. I also asked them to set up a helpline,” he
said.
He asked social-media users to spread awareness of drug abuse on
various platforms. “Since several children stuck with drug abuse are also
active on social media, I urge people to launch a movement under #Drug
Free India,” Mr. Modi said.
He expressed concern that pharmaceutical products such as cough
syrups were being used as recreational drugs, and said “such medicines”
should not be sold without prescription.

11. Fixing the youth drug problem
• Nearly 75% of Indian homes house at least one drug user—usually a
parent, and often the father. Experts tell us that children as young as 13
and 14 regularly experiment with intoxicants.
• Instead of wondering why our youth are becoming addicts, we should
start asking better questions. How do we stop them? How do we keep the
stuff out of their little hands and away from their innocent minds?
• The answer to these questions are two sided:
• 1. There needs to be an effort to prevent drug and alcohol addiction.
• 2. De-Addiction Centres need to focus in on the youth of India.

12. Preventing Addiction
• Although often neglected, we need to give special attention to
our young community who have never abused drugs.
The old saying, "Preventing addiction is more effective than
curing it," may seem idealistic, but it demonstrates a mindset
that Indians need to adopt. While many programmes aim at
presenting alternatives to addicts, we need to remember the
community that has never abused drugs.
Creating healthy and attractive alternatives to drug abuse can
curb the number of first time users. The United Nations Office
for Drug Control and Crime Prevention recently came out with a
handbook to help communities prevent drug abuse. Some basic
prevention ideas include:
• • Promotion of Health: The community needs to promote
healthy lifestyles through personal and cultural practices. By
setting an example of health you will discourage damaging and
dangerous lifestyles.
• • Focus on people and encouragement of social
interaction: Promoting social interaction between old and young
can only be done in a social environment. Create this
environment through organized activities that all ages can
partake in.
• • Local involvement of young people and respect for cultural
values: The activities you chose should focus on young people.
Be sure to respect cultural traditions of the community.
• • Encouragement of positive alternatives: Develop these
alternatives with cultural values in mind, and understanding
what appeals to the younger generation.
• • Long-term perspective: Don't be discouraged if results aren't
immediate. Preventing drug use takes time—keeping a long-
term perspective is important.
• • Community development: Focus on developing the
fundamentals of your community. Education, health and social
services, housing, sanitation, and income-generating activities
are important ideas to focus in on.

14. Helping our youth come clean
• The second side to India's addiction problem comes in the form
of our present addicts. And unfortunately, addiction currently
plagues millions of Indians—both young and old.
• Solving this problem won't be easy either, but the solution will
come in the form of better youth de-addiction centres. Currently,
only 33% of the 580 centres listed on our site offer youth de-
addiciton. This statistic must change if India hopes to save its
youth.

15. How To Fight It?
• Fight against drug abuse
has been one of the most
difficult struggles for
mankind because getting
other people to agree that
drugs have a bad long term
effect is very difficult.
Many people believe that
there is absolutely nothing
bad about the intake of
drugs because they keep in
mind only the present
situation and totally ignore
the long term effect.

16. Talk about it
• Talking about the cons of drug
abuse may help you or your
friends and family come out of
the misconception that drugs
donot harm the functioning of
the brain. Talking about it will
also bring out other myths
that are related to drug intake
and can open the eyes of
many who usually treat it as a
very casual thing. Putting a
thought into the drug taking
habit of the Indian society will
help us curb the use of drugs
and promote healthy living.

17. Rehabilitation centers
• There are various rehabilitation
centres across the country will
help individuals in their fight
against drug abuse. They help a
person to get out of the habit by
decreasing the dose gradually and
eventually getting rid of the habit
totally. Here you are not stopping
the use of drugs all at once
because the human body may
react to it adversely and make the
condition of the person even
worse.

18. NGOs –
• There are NGOs which work
towards spreading awareness
against drug abuse. People
often don’t even know that
they are addicted to a
particular drug. NGOs have
more reach and with the help
of volunteers they go to
different places to spread the
message against drug abuse.
You could join one yourself or
help your family or friend get
the help they require.

19. Say No To Drugs First Time &
Every Time
• To "Just Say No" to drugs
and alcohol, one must have
a reason and that reason
must be that there are more
interesting activities to
choose from. It also helps to
have an answer to peers
who may offer these
substances to you.

20. Push yourself
• Once you know that you are
not at a very good place, try
and quit. It may take a while
to get used to it, you may feel
like giving in to the cravings
but just be strict with
yourself. Also, talk to people
about it, there are chances
that you may slip into
depression and that will only
make the situation worse. To
win this fight you will need
support and will power.

21. HOW TO SAY NO TO DRUGS
Be aware of your talents, skills and
accomplishments so you can think of
them when you feel worthless.
• Realize that you can create your own
"buzz" or happy feelings by caring about
and building, your future.
• Past accomplishments are key. If you
succeeded before you can do it again.
• Think about what you enjoy doing the
most.
• You can never look back at a substance-
abusing episode with pride, but you can
when recalling how you utilized your
skills.
• Seek medical and professional advice
when stopping all substances as
withdrawing from some drugs can cause
health concerns.

22. PUBLIC CO-OPERATION
• Police department can effectively protect life and property
with the support of the citizens it serves. The Punjab police
had restored the peace in the state with the support of the
citizens not individuals. We urge to use the same standard
when assisting us to nab/detect drug peddlers and prevent the
smuggling, selling of Heroin, Chars, Ganja, Smack, Poppy Husk,
Opium and Synthetics drugs etc.

23. Support The Fight
• Supporting the fight against drug abuse will not only help you
save other people’s lives but will also bring to forth the real
problem and the understanding of how deeply embedded it is
into our culture. Drug abuse can be looked at as an enemy of the
society, it is eating up the youth. It is engulfing more and more
people every single day and getting rid of it should become our
first priority. Help the people who are hanging in the middle of
nowhere, talk to them, help them out of it. Most of the times the
only reason people start taking drugs is because they can’t find
anyone to talk to. Be that one guiding light for them and them
get out of this awful habit.

24. Drug policy of India
• The major drug laws of
India are the Narcotic
Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances Act (1985)
and the Prevention of
Illicit Trafficking in
Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic
Substances Act (1985).

25. Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances Act
• The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Bill, 1985
was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 23 August 1985. It was
passed by both the Houses of Parliament and it was
assented by the President on 16 September 1985. It came
into force on 14 November 1985 as THE NARCOTIC DRUGS
AND PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES ACT, 1985 (shortened to
NDPS Act). Under the NDPS Act, it is illegal for a person to
produce/manufacture/cultivate, possess, sell, purchase,
transport, store, and/or consume any narcotic drug or
psychotropic substance.
• Under one of the provisions of the act, the Narcotics
Control Bureau was set up with effect from March 1986.
The Act is designed to fulfill India's treaty obligations under
the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, Convention on
Psychotropic Substances, and United Nations Convention
Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances. The Act has been amended three times - in
1988, 2001, and most recently in 2014.
• The 2014 Amendment recognizes the need for pain relief as
an important obligation of the government. It creates a
class of medicines called Essential Narcotic Drugs (ENDs).
Power for legislation on ENDs has been shifted from the
state governments to the central governments so that the
whole country now can have a uniform law covering these
medicines which are needed for pain relief.

26. Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic
Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act
• The Prevention of Illicit
Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs
and Psychotropic Substances
Act is a drug control
law passed in 1966 to
phamacognosy app & other
relevant by the Parliament
of India. It was established
to enable the full
implementation and
enforcement of the Narcotic
Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances Act of 1985 by
chaman chaudhary

27. Narcotics Control Bureau
• The Narcotics Control Bureau
(NCB) is the chief law
enforcement and intelligence age
ncy of India responsible for
fighting drug trafficking and the
abuse of illegal substances.It was
created on 17 March 1986 to
enable the full implementation
of the Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances Act
(1985) and fight its violation
through the Prevention of Illicit
Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances Act
(1988).

28. Initiatives in India to fight against Drug
Abuse
• The Haryana Government implemented a scheme titled
‘Central Sector Scheme of Assistance for Prevention of
Alcoholism and Substance (Drug) Abuse’ to curb the
issue of drug abuse. Under this scheme, a financial
assistance was given to the eligible NGOs, Panchayati Raj
institutions and urban local bodies by the government,
which in turn will provide integrated services for the
rehabilitation of addicts. An advisory was issued by the
government to all states and UTs asking them to take
measures for the prevention of substance abuse among
children.
• Charitar Nirman Sewadar Trust, an NGO engaged in de-
addiction and social reformation stated that about 80
percent of the prisoners in Tihar are addicted to either
tobacco, ganja, smack or alcohol. It suggested that there
is a need for more counselors in the jail to tackle
depression among the prisoners who consorted to drugs
because of it.
• CHETNA is an NGO which runs an unofficial recreation
center for children inside the Nizamuddin Police Station.
They mainly focus on developing friendly relations
between the police and street children who are more
susceptible to drugs and crime.

29. Punishment
• Anyone who contravenes the NDPS Act will
face punishment based on the quantity of
the banned substance.
• where the contravention involves small
quantity(<1 kg), with rigorous imprisonment
for a term which may extend to 6 months, or
with fine which may extend to ₹10,000 or
with both;
• where the contravention involves quantity
lesser than commercial quantity but greater
than small quantity, with rigorous
imprisonment for a term which may extend
to 10 years and with fine which may extend
to 1 lakh;
• where the contravention
involves commercial quantity, with rigorous
imprisonment for a term which shall not be
less than 10 years but which may extend to
20 years and shall also be liable to fine
which shall not be less than ₹1 lakh but
which may extend to ₹2 lakh.

31. To sum up…
• It is very astonishing to find how widespread the problem is. The situation is grave
not only in Punjab and Delhi but also in many parts of India. The Delhi government
is now planning to start dedicated juvenile drug de-addiction centers in six
hospitals. In the Punjab survey, it was revealed that more than 80% have tried to
give up drugs but only about 30% of them have actually received help or
treatment. Experts are of opinion that health and welfare programs do not reach
the millions of people affected by drugs.