State wise drug case counts are shocking.
The young generation of the country is being ruined by drugs. There are many states where a large number of youth are under the influence of drugs. There would hardly be any part of the country where drug dealers are not active. There is a huge difference between reality and figures in this matter. According to the drug related data available from the National Crime Records Bureau i.e. NCRB, Kerala is at the top in terms of drug addiction, while Punjab is an infamous state.
The National Crime Records Bureau has recently released the latest total criminal figures for the year 2024. Its details are yet to come. This means that how many cases were registered under which item, it is yet to be known, but when we investigated drugs on this pretext, it was found that infamous Punjab does not stop anywhere. States like Kerala and Maharashtra are in the top two in the figures.
The picture of Punjab is different
According to the state-wise figures given by the Home Ministry in Rajya Sabha quoting NCRB, 12,442 NDPS Act cases were registered in Punjab in the year 2022. Yes, it must be remembered that NCRB itself says in its report that its figures are based on the cases registered with the police.
That is, this is not the final truth of the entire drug problem, but a reported picture, which has been recorded by the state police. The report also says that comparisons between states should be done very carefully, because policing, registration and local conditions may differ from state to state.
These were the top five states in drug cases
According to NCRB, according to the data of the year 2022, the top 5 states of the country are like this.
- Kerala: 26,619 cases
- Maharashtra: 13,830 cases
- Punjab: 12,442 cases
- Uttar Pradesh: 11,541 cases
- Tamil Nadu: 10,385 cases
After this come states like Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. Gujarat is very low in this list. Looking at the state-wise share, it is known that a total of 1.15 lakh cases of NDPS Act were registered in the year 2022, out of which Kerala’s share is about 23 percent, Maharashtra’s is about 12 percent, Punjab is about 11 percent, Uttar Pradesh is about 10 percent and Tamil Nadu is about nine percent. That means only these five states together constitute a major part of the total cases.
Why so much difference in the picture of Punjab and Gujarat?
Some things become clear after reading the NCRB report. First thing, this data is of registered cases.If the police in any state is more active, more FIRs are being registered, or special campaigns are going on, then the number of cases may also increase. Secondly, cases under NDPS fall into two broad categories. Personal consumption and smuggling means not only smuggling, cases of consumption or possession are also included in it.
Thirdly, Punjab has long been a part of the national debate on drugs. Because of this, there may be more focus on action, investigation and case registration. Gujarat often figures in big maritime seizure cases, but big seizures and the number of NDPS cases registered in the state are not always the same thing.
Why did the cases surge?
Now let’s discuss the most important part. Some statistics related to drugs, which further clarify the story. There was a sharp increase in NDPS cases in the year 2022. This could also be police vigilance. Or there may be an increase in intoxication. In the year 2021, a total of 78,331 cases were registered under the NDPS Act across the country. In the year 2022, it suddenly increased to more than 1.15 lakh, that is, an increase of about 47 percent in just one year. This is a huge jump.
personal consumption vs drug trafficking
According to the NCRB data released by the Press Information Bureau, the number of personal intoxication cases registered in the year 2022 was 77,172 and drug trafficking cases were more than 38 thousand, that is, out of the total cases, cases related to consumption or personal use are more. This shows that the problem is not just of supply but also of demand. In the year 2021, only 46,029 individual cases of drug addiction were registered, whereas the next year the same number increased to 77,172, i.e. an increase of about 68 percent. These figures are definitely worrying. This shows that the grip of drugs is not limited to smugglers only.
The problem is spreading at the consumer level also. In the year 2021, the cases of drug smuggling were 32,302, which increased to 38,064 in the next year i.e. 2022, i.e. an increase of about 18 percent.
1.45 lakh people arrested in the year 2022
In the year 2022, 1,44,812 people were arrested in NDPS cases. In the year 2021, this number was 1,07,808, which means there was an increase of about 34 percent in arrests in a year. Ganja accounted for the most amount in seizures. In the year 2022, only 17,11,916 kg of ganja was seized. The total seizure of narcotics was 17,16,700 kg. This shows that marijuana still holds a very large share in terms of volume.
The quantity of poppy peel and heroin is shocking.
The amount of poppy husk and heroin recovered in the year 2022 is shocking. It is enough to say that the drug trade and businessmen are intent on taking the young generation of the country into the trap of drugs. During this period, more than 3,18,701 kg of poppy peel, 4,798 kg of heroin and 1,209 kg of morphine have been recovered. The quantity of heroin is not as high as that of marijuana, but its impact on crime and trafficking networks is considered to be much more serious.
The quantity of cocaine is small, but the importance is big
In the year 2022, the seizure of cocaine has been recorded only at 71.82 kg. It may seem light in weight but its market price and network value is very high.
Be careful while reading NCRB figures
The report clarifies that the data is based on police recorded crimes. If there are multiple crimes in one FIR, the principal offense rule applies. Social and economic factors are not captured in the report. Caution is necessary while comparing states, i.e. more cases does not always mean that the same state is most unsafe, where more cases have been registered or more seizures have taken place. Sometimes it may also mean that the registration is better there or the action is more.
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