December 21, 2022
Saugata Roy’s speech in the Lok Sabha during the discussion under Rule 193 on 21.12.22 on the problem of drug abuse in India and the steps being taken by the government
Thank you, Sir. I rise to speak on the drug abuse problem in the country. The Home Minister is not here. But I see that he does not display the same sense of urgency in removing drug abuse as he does in political capturing in Gujarat. Sir, he does not display that sense of urgency. There is a Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan. It is only in 272 districts, only half the districts in the country. Many questions have been raised during this debate. I would like the Home Minister to reply to the same. Is the Home Minister thinking of capital punishment for possession of drugs as is there in Singapore? What about misuse of NDPS Act, 1985 wherein policemen put people under NDPS for getting some money but not to fight drug dealers? What about the use of sea route? Why is Gujarat, especially the port of Mundra owned by Adani, revealing so many drug seizures? What is the Government doing about drones which are carrying drugs over the Punjab border? All the drug dealings are happening through the Dark Web and by the use of cryptocurrency. What is the Government doing in controlling the Dark Net or the cryptocurrency? There are many complaints about the Narcotics Control Bureau. We know the case of, an officer who arrested Shahrukh Khan’s son. NCB is full of such people who indulge in corruption. Sir, drugs are the biggest problem in the world today. The total trafficking is worth a staggering 650 billion dollars. In India, 22,000 people die because of drugs. We have many drugs. We have cannabis, that is ganja and charas. We have opiates sold as opium, heroine, smack, pharma opiates. We have medicinal drugs, sedatives used as drugs. We have the inhalers which are maximum used by children. Another drug category is hallucinogens. They are also used in limited circles. What is the Government’s plan about them? Sir, the problem is not with people in high places in Mumbai, the film world, who are high on drugs. The problem is with the poor people. I see the rickshawalas sitting on their rickshaw and smoking ganja. I see the vegetable vendor going to a corner of the road and taking smack through a small pipe. We are not saving them. We are driving them towards death. So far, all the steps of the Government have been inadequate. We need a national movement for removal of drug abuse. We need a total consciousness campaign, as you had mentioned in your speech. We need urgent action by the Government of India. Surveys on all these drugs are there. I am not talking about the Medellin Cartel of Columbia. I am not talking about the drug lords of Mexico. But in India, there are small Medellin Cartels who receive support from some powerful circles. I want to know what the powerful Home Minister, who displays his political अगिी बार200 पार in those places … Lastly, I want to say that our State, West Bengal is still better. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of cannabis users followed by Punjab, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh and Delhi. Sir, my last point is this. Out of the total opioid users, roughly one-third are from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi. Nearly seven per cent of the population in Mizoram consumed opioids followed by Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. We are still better. But what is the Government doing about the biggest State, Uttar Pradesh wherein in some places cannabis is cultivated openly?
