PANAJI
A move to de-criminalise drug addiction and exempt possession of banned substances by "users" from prosecution provided they register with recognised de-addiction centres for rehab is under active consideration of the Centre and could dramatically alter the way narco-policing is done in the future.
As of now, consumption under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1986, is prosecutable and convictions could attract jail terms of up to one year and fines.
The move to decriminalise consumption and possession by addicts has been initiated by the Ministry of Social Justice and media reports indicate that a consensus is emerging among related Central government ministries to clear it. The thought process is that users or addicts should be treated more as victims rather than criminals.
Another indication that the move may go through in the near future is the Centre's admission in Parliament recently that substance abuse is defined as 'mental illness' in Mental Health Care Act.
The ministry is also simultaneously attempting to increase the 508 drug rehabilitation centres across the country by a massive number under its 'Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan'. It anticipates that users, especially cannabis users, could dramatically rise once the move to decriminalise drug use okayed and implemented.
Goa, is among a dozen Indian States declared vulnerable to rampant drug use and trade. In fact it is among eight Indian States, which in the past two pandemic years, have emerged as States with 100 per cent districts branded vulnerable districts for drug use.
The other States in this group are Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Chandigarh, Puducherry and Tripura.
In Uttarakhand, 92 per cent of its districts are vulnerable while in Punjab, until recently devastated by rampant drug use, the percentage of districts vulnerable to substance abuse is 86%.
Current narco-policing modules entail agencies going after supply chains, but more often than not, the officers are accused of targeting 'small fry' and many a times the end-user with most raids ending up with seizures of small quantities of banned substances.
Goa, interestingly, does not have a single one of these 508 rehab centres and cases are usually dealt with by government healthcare facilities or private psychiatrists and mental health professionals.
