Drug-related Offences in India: Observations and Insights from the Secondary Analysis of the Data from the National Crimes Record Bureau

People who use psychoactive substances that are illicit have increased chances of coming into contact with the law enforcement and criminal justice systems for different reasons. The problem statement in terms of the need for healthcare services for such people is yet to be defined and quantified in India. We used the data collected by the National Crimes Record Bureau for the years 1986 to 2021. We assessed the profile of offences registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), 1985 over the successive years in India. We also made comparisons between the offences for possession for personal use/consumption and for trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances at the national level and at the level of states and union territories in the country. The percentage of these arrests, charge sheets and convictions as part of total Special and Local Laws (SLL) has increased over the years, showing a positive monotonic trend. A large percentage of those arrested were males. A higher percentage of females were arrested and charge-sheeted for trafficking than for personal use or consumption. The percentage of total persons arrested, charge-sheeted and convicted for possession of drugs for personal use/consumption was greater than that of those arrested for possession of drugs for trafficking for all years from 2017 to 2021. There were significant associations between gender and the types of offense. The highest rates of offences were reported from some north-western states, north-eastern states and Kerala. The findings help us make a strong argument in favour of strengthening the health sector response for people who use psychoactive substances and are in contact with the law enforcement and criminal justice systems in the country.