SRINAGAR: Drug abuse is on the rise across Jammu and Kashmir with over 1.12 lakh kg drugs seized and around 10,000 people arrested in the UT under the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPSA) between 2018 and 2022. Over the years, there has been a consistent surge in narcotics-related incidents and arrests, keeping the law enforcement on their toes.
According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, 29,306 kg of drugs, including 74,179 pharmaceuticals, were destroyed in 2023 and 4,365 kg of drugs and 26,772 pharmaceuticals were destroyed in the first half of 2024.
The police, Anti Narcotics Task Force and other security agencies along with civil administration have launched a campaign against narcotics in J&K, seeking help of religious heads and clerics to prevent drug addiction among people.
Law enforcement agencies have launched a massive crackdown across the UT and lodged 6,851 cases under the NDPSA from 2018 to 2022.
In the same period, over 10,000 arrests were made in J&K as part of a drive against drug and narcotics trade, which has emerged as a key challenge for security agencies.
As drug abuse has spiked, authorities have set up de-addiction centres for treatment and rehabilitation of addicts. The number of individuals receiving de-addiction services in J&K rose from just 1,509 in 2020-21, to 35,948 in 2024-25.
“In total, 83,208 people have been treated and discharged from various de-addiction centres across J&K since 2020,” data reveals.
Nine drug de-addiction centres are functioning in the UT, six of them in the Valley and three in Jammu region.
As the drug addiction has increased, at least 17 suicides have been linked to drug abuse and alcohol addiction in the region from 2018.