PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTION IN NARCOTIC CASES

The abuse of drugs has become a problematic issue that affects almost every aspect of life—health, law, and society in general. Drug addiction, for example, is not only a health problem but also a behavioral one, and so it has to be treated as a disorder and not as a crime. The investigation looks into the possibility of using public health methods alongside legal measures to make a more humane and efficient way of handling substance dependence.

The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) is the main statute for drug control in India. The Act gives full power to the law enforcement agencies, but through Sections 64A and 71 it also allows the offenders to go for rehabilitation instead of being imprisoned. The gradual transition from coercive enforcement to a public health-oriented model has already been witnessed in the Indian national programs like the Nasha Mukt Bharat and the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR).