Srinagar, Mar 28: Intensifying its crackdown against drug abuse and trafficking, the law enforcement agencies have arrested 7,985 individuals over the past three years under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
According to data accessed by The Kashmir Monitor, a total of 7,985 individuals were arrested for drug-related offenses, including drug peddling and abuse in Jammu and Kashmir from 2022 to 2024. During this period, the district law enforcement agencies mostly police registered 5,545 cases under the NDPS Act, highlighting the police action against the growing drug menace in the union territory.
In 2023 alone, the authorities registered 2,149 cases of drug abuse and trafficking, leading to the arrest of 3,072 individuals involved in the illegal trade and consumption of narcotics. The year 2022 saw 1,857 cases being registered, with 2,755 arrests made.
Last year, 2158 abusers and paddlers were arrested in 1539 cases registered by the police.
Data also reveals that a total of 830 kilograms of hashish, 272 kilograms of heroin have been recovered in Jammu and Kashmir from 2019 to 2023.
During the same period, 6722 kilograms of poppy straw were destroyed in Jammu and Kashmir.
Data also suggested that 182 persons have been convicted for possession of drugs for trafficking under the NDPS Act during 2018 -2022.
Doctors said the strict government policies and police action have led to the reduced supply and availability of drugs, hence a decline in their abuse and sale.
“It has certainly yielded positive results on the ground. The peddlers are abusers also. When they don’t get a supply of certain drugs like heroin, their consumption declines. The legal action taken against the drug abuser or peddler discourages them from indulging in this heinous act,” said Dr Yasir Rather, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, IMHANS, GMC Srinagar.
A senior police official said the department, apart from arresting the drug peddlers and users, is holding awareness programmes to educate people about the impacts of drug abuse. “We hold programmes and seminars at schools and health institutions so that our youth are educated about the adverse effects of drug abuse,” he said.
Minister for Health , Sakina Itoo also has said that there has been a slight decrease in the registration of new cases following successful implementation of Nasha Mukt Abhiyan.