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Himachal Pradesh Police Chief has given a big statement regarding the drugs problem. He has said that addicts caught with small quantities of drugs will not be treated as criminals.
Sudhir Jha , ShimlaThu, 3 Oct 2024 10:55 AM share
Himachal Pradesh Police Chief has given a big statement regarding the drugs problem. He has said that drug addicts caught with small quantities of drugs will not be treated as criminals. They will be given a chance to improve. He said that the reason behind this is that the cases registered under the NDPS Act have increased manifold. He said that while 644 cases were registered in 2014, their number will increase to 2,147 in 2023. This shows that punishment is not reducing it.
According to police data, 3118 people were arrested under the NDPS Act in 2023, including 103 women and 6 foreigners. Of these, only 200 to 250 had drugs in commercial quantities. The official said that most of these addicts are smugglers, who do this work for the next dose. DGP Atul Verma told PTI on Thursday, ‘Some of these are not criminals addicted to drugs. They are facing health problems. They should be given a chance to reform under Section 64A of the NDPS Act, which provides immunity from prosecution to drug addicts caught with small quantities of a prohibited substance.’ He said the provision was never used in the state.
DGP said, ‘The process of identification of drug addicts has been started. NGOs and retired officers will be engaged in awareness campaign regarding Section 14A. He will be given a chance to improve through medical treatment.
