Sky Hawk Times

Legislative Branch of Parliament clears NDPS Act Amendment Bill

Hopefully shall be tabled this Winter Session- Dr Dharamvira Gandhi

Sky Hawk Times

Chandigarh, 19 october

Dr Dharamvira Gandhi Member Parliament Patiala  informed that the a Bill to amend Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985, to be tabled in Parliament as Private Member Bill, has been cleared by Legislative Branchafter duly scrutinizing it. This is the second Bill by Dr Dharamvira to be accepted for tabling in the Parliament, the first being ‘Sikh Marriage Act-2016’ which has already been tabled in the Parliament. The reason for bringing up this amendment says Dr Gandhi, “The thirty years period of enactment and implementation of NDPS Act has produced results contrary to the desired results.”
Asks Dr Dharamvira,” Thirty years down the line, where do we stand? The fact of the matter is that the NDPS Act has not only failed in achieving its professed goals, but this “War on Drugs” has delivered results directly opposite to what it aimed to achieve. There can be no better verdict and/or evaluation of such punitive drug laws than frank admission statement of the United Nations Conference on 12th March, 2009, admitting that “the War on Drugs has failed”.
Dr Gandhi described the intentions behind the enactment that “NDPS Act was enacted in order to meet then United Nations Conventions on Drug Policy in the year 1985 during the rule of Rajiv Gandhi government. The objective was to prevent rampant drug use in society, as it was believed drugs and intoxicants degrade the moral character of individuals and destabilize well-ordered society. It was believed that drugs were an enemy of ordered civilization, and the goal was a drug-free world.”
“Most drugs were made illegal. Anyone found using or possessing such substances was prescribed harsh punishments, and large amounts of money was invested in the enforcement of drug restrictions and punishments handed out herewith. Plants and chemicals used in the manufacture of drugs were strictly controlled, and drug enforcement agencies spent large amounts of money and time ensuring that drugs were eradicated from society”, says Dr Gandhi
But the War on Drugs had led to the creation of a dangerous drug mafia, hundreds of scores of human rights violations and innumerable precious lives destroyed. As the common man’s recreational substances were made unavailable, the newer, more potent, addictive and dangerous alternative drugs flooded the markets. Heroin replaced opium, cocaine replaced cannabis, and so on. As the drug business involves huge super profits, on one hand it creates rivalries spilling into gang wars and on the other hand it promotes ruthless and aggressive marketing, thus pushing more and more people into the drug world. Consequently, the petty traditional drug users are turning to the easily available and aggressively marketed more addictive and dangerous street drugs. The National Crime Record Bureau(NCRB) reported in 2014, that there are at least 25,000 individuals accused under the NDPS Act. Statistics of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) indicate that number of users arrested contributes to 88% of those jailed under NDPS. Traffickers and distributors are 2%. No financers have been arrested. The drug mafia operates with impunity, increasing the scale of its operations. The UN has estimated that drug trade is the largest illegal market in the world, amounting to $300 billion. Drug money is being used to fund wars and terrorism and creating narco-terrorism.”
Lamenting the unconcern or tacit connivance of successive governments the first time Parliament Member from Patiala said, “India is currently facing a massive drug problem, with citizens between 15-40 years of age habitually abusing more and more harmful substances as the supply of less harmful, conventional intoxicants is curtailed. Punjab, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh are the worst affected states. It is ironic that inspite of loud noises made from difference parts of the country, especially Punjab and Mizoram about the increasing drug menace, resulting in immense death and misery, the NDPS Act has neither been reviewed nor analyzed by any Government in the past.”
“It was dawned upon nations worldwide that banning all intoxicating substances and imposing criminal liabilities on non-violent users is only worsening the problem. It is time to treat drug abuse and addiction as the health issue instead of treating it as a crime against society. It is high time to modernize our drug policy“, pleads Dr Gandhi.
Dr Gandhi hopes that this winter session the amendment will be tabled before the Parliament and hopefully NDPS Act shall be amended to provide relief to common drug user through cheap, regulated and medically supervised supply of traditional and natural intoxicants like Apheem and Bhukki, to get society rid of dangerous and killing Medical and Synthetic drugs.