Events
& Issues
New Delhi, 10 September 2020
Drug Addiction & Crime
SUSHANT DEATH OUTPUT
By Dr.
S. Saraswathi
(Former Director,
ICSSR, New Delhi)
The investigation into the mysterious death
of Sushant Singh Rajput is leading the authorities deep into the flourishing
illicit drug trade and its network in India. Verily, it is a case of ghost
emerging while digging a well, as a Tamil saying goes. The by-product is as
serious as the actor’s death.
A Kannada film actress is arrested under the
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act
following a recent drug bust in Kannada film industry. Karnataka police has begun crackdown on drug
peddlers. The Sandalwood drug racket has led to destruction of marijuana
cultivation in the State.
Drug link is suspected in the gold smuggling
case in Kerala by an international gang. In inaccessible hill areas in Andhra
Pradesh, ganja is freely grown. Search is on to capture the accomplice of a
notorious Sri Lankan drug trafficker hiding in Tamil Nadu.
These are not rare incidents as drug abuse
has assumed alarming proportions. About two days ago, a cartel supplying ganja
to Chennai from Andhra Pradesh was busted by the police. The contraband was
being transported in the guise of vegetables in goods carriers. Seizure of
banned gutkha products and sealing of illegal godowns of such substances by the
police are often reported which proves that drug related crimes are growing as
most common among organised crimes. This trade requires well-knit team work and
a strong chain of network, as at every point, it has to escape the eyes of the
police to survive.
A press report reveals that in some temples
in North Karnataka, Marjuana is considered sacred and distributed as “Prasad” to devotees! During temple
festivals, ganja sale is said to be common under a belief that consumption of
this stuff helps in meditation and in achieving enlightenment. A spiritual
purpose and experience are attributed to drug addiction.
Any substance introduced into the body orally
or by injection or by smell is known as drug. It is essentially a chemical
agent and used by chemists to make medicines. It is its bad use as narcotic
drugs that induce drowsiness and its excessive use that is termed “abuse” that
we have to eradicate. It is unrelated to medical treatment.
Two Opium Wars were fought between England
and China in 1839 and 1856 over opium trade which carried enormous monetary
value.
If narcotic drug trade has become the biggest
news today, one wonders how it has been allowed to grow. What in our system is
so weak as to allow this? Is the law inadequate or its enforcement weak or the
parties in the crime extraordinarily powerful or have powerful support?
Catching the offenders in a particular case and punishing them cannot put an
end to the illicit drug market. The
roots of the drug and the routes taken by the traders have to be destroyed
which requires transnational operations with international cooperation.
The impact of COVID-19 on drug trade and
market is another dimension that needs to be investigated. Lockdown
restrictions on movements must have resulted in scarcity and substandard
products as in other consumer products.
Drug abuse or substance abuse is reported to
be growing at an alarming rate. Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances Act 1985, the Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) as the chief law
enforcement and intelligence agency responsible for fighting drug trafficking
and abuse of illegal substances was constituted in 1986. Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic
Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act was adopted in 1988. Violation of these
laws is punishable criminal offences.
The UN General Assembly adopted the
Declaration on the Control of Drug Trafficking and called upon member-States to
fight this “criminal activity” with all moral, legal, and institutional means
at the national, regional, and international levels. The decade 1991-2000 was
declared as a decade against drug abuse.
A special session of the General Assembly on
World Drug Problem in 2016 expressed the joint commitment of the participating
States to effectively address and counter world drug problem. The Outcome Document issued after the session
noted that appropriate emphasis should be placed on individuals, families,
communities, and society as a whole. In particular, the challenges faced by
transit nations were noted for enhancing their capacities to address the
problem. India is one of the transit countries situated between Afghanistan,
the largest producer of opium, and East and South-East Asia.
UN International Day Against Drug Abuse,
first declared in 1987 and presently observed on 26 June is an expression of
the world body’s determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve
the goal of an international society free of drug abuse. In 2020, the theme for
the year is “Better Knowledge for Better Care”. This has to be accompanied with
better international cooperation to curb drug menace that destroys health,
security, and governance and promotes organised crime, corruption, and even
terrorism. Illicit drug trade going on secretly seems to receive international
cooperation which is hard to achieve for open constructive purposes.
India enacted the Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substance Act in 1985. Its amendment in 1988 introduced death
penalty for certain offences under the Act. Illicit production, manufacture,
and trade of any narcotic drug or any substance is punishable with imprisonment
for 10 years.
World Drug Report 2020 released by the UN
Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has come out with six booklets containing
data and analysis on drug problem. Still, data on international cooperation in
this matter, possible alternative cultivation in areas growing drug plants, and
on the nexus between drugs and crime are not complete. According to this
Report, around 269 million people used drugs worldwide in 2018, which was 30%
more than in 2009. Over 35 million were found suffering from drug use
disorders.
In Punjab and Haryana, drug addiction has
currently become an important political issue. NCB has identified 18 districts
in Punjab and 10 in Haryana as most affected by substance abuse. In Mizoram,
narcotics valued at Rs.90 million were destroyed. Punjab is serving as the
transit point for smuggling of narcotic drugs and supplying to all parts of
India.
The Madras High Court, observing that Punjab
has become the transit point in drug route and the State has already become a
big consumer, has asked the Union Government to spell out whether India is
being used as a hub by international drug cartels and whether the money
involved was being used to fund terrorist and anti-national activities. The
court also raised queries regarding involvement of international mafias in
crime, the size of drug trade in the country, and the steps taken by the
government to curb the problem. The court was dealing with the detention of a
drug peddler under the Goondas Act. The Kerala High Court also has taken a suo moto public interest litigation in
the matter and has pointed out that educational institutes have become a hotbed
of drug peddlers.
The country is anxiously expecting that SSR
death case will result in exposing the dimensions of drug consumption and trade
and its linkages with crimes and diseases so that drug problem can be
effectively tackled. ---INFA
(Copyright,
India News & Feature Alliance)
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