Maharashtra tops the country in drug-related suicides

While Punjab as a state may be in pole position when it comes to drug-related offences, city-wise data of the NCRB puts Mumbai on top. In 2014, 19,874 cases were reported in the country under the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Act. Of this, Mumbai reported 14,274 cases followed by Amritsar with 1,382 cases. It translates into 77.5 cases per one lakh Mumbaikars, the highest under the NDPS. The all-India average for the year 2014 was 12.4.

Experts say high penetration of drugs in metropolitan cities of the state make people more susceptible to dying accidentally due to substance abuse.

Maharashtra incidentally has had the highest number of such suicides for the past few years. In 2014, suicides from drug abuse formed 8.4 per cent of all suicides in the state. The numbers for 2012 and 2013 crossed 10 per cent, NCRB data shows.

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The last National Survey on the extent, pattern and trend of drug abuse in India was conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in the year 2000-2001 and its report was published in 2004. It was estimated that about 7.32 crore people in India were users of alcohol and drugs. Of these, 0.87 crore used cannabis, 0.20 crore used opiates and 6.25 crore were users of alcohol.

Thereafter, no National Survey on drug abuse has been conducted.

The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment implements a “Central Sector Scheme of Assistance for Prevention of Alcoholism and Substances (Drug) Abuse and for Social Defence Services” under which financial assistance is provided to Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) for, inter-alia, running and maintenance of Integrated Rehabilitation Centres of Addicts (IRCAs). Presently, 69 IRCAs are being supported by this ministry in Maharashtra.