Anti-narcotics Scheme Extended for Three Years

The government of India has decided to extend  'Assistance to States and UTs for Narcotics Control' scheme for three more years as the country still has around 40 lakh drug addicts.

What is the scheme?

The scheme was launched on October 24, 2004, to combats illicit trafficking in drugs and psychotropic substance. The scheme was launched for a period of five and later extended twice in subsequent years and now it has again been extended for three years which means the situation of drug addiction is severe.

Key Points

• Assistance will be provided to the governments and Union Territories which are contributing in controlling the inter-state and cross-border drug trafficking.
• Financial assistance will be offered to all the anti-narcotics agencies and capacity building activities that are working in the direction of strengthening their enforcement capabilities to combat illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances

Condition of Drug Addiction in India

According to the latest assessments, there are approximately 40 lakh drug addicts in India but the actual number of drug addicts will way higher than the mentioned in the reports.
 'Ganja', 'hashish', 'Opium' and 'heroin' are most commonly and widely used drugs but abuse of pharmaceutical preparations like 'buprenorphine', codeine-based cough syrups and painkillers like 'proxivon' has done serious harm which is giving birth to many socio-economic problems

What Strategy should be adopted?

It is of utmost importance that all the state governments should make people aware of drug menace and its consequences before it spreads like an epidemic. The supply of drug should be checked and the abuse of pharmaceutical preparations should be put under strict monitoring. Considering the situation of drug addiction in the country, the number of rehabilitation centres and de-addiction measure should be increased.