With over 42% of the inmates in Punjab’s jails either accused or convicted under offences related to narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances, the gravity of the drug menace gripping the State is yet again in the spotlight, alarming experts.
A study titled ‘Inside Punjab Prisons’, on the condition of prisons in Punjab by the Punjab State Legal Services Authority (PULSA), prepared in collaboration with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), was released in January 2022. It points out that around 42.1% of the State’s prison population, which includes 27% undertrials and 14.7% convicts, are linked to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Experts feel the figure is worrisome and shows the magnitude of the drug menace that’s plaguing Punjab.
PULSA, in association with Punjab’s Prisons Department and the CHRI, conducted a study inside all 24 functional prisons in Punjab over a nine-month period in 2018-19. Methodologies such as direct observation by field researchers, semi-structured interviews as well as secondary data review were applied.
The study says the issue of drug smuggling and consumption was observed in 15 out of 24 functional jails, pointing out that “...It is plausible that one of the contributing factors to rampant drug smuggling and consumption is the existence of a high number of inmates charged, accused, and convicted under the NDPS Act, 1985”.
“The figure (42.1%) is a matter of concern and shows the extent of gravity of the drug menace in Punjab. Experience shows that in most cases, the people who are associated with the drug trade, etc., are in all likelihood substance abusers as well. In fact, the figure of substance abusers could be even higher because those undertrials and convicts, who are booked under other laws apart from NDPS Act, may also be facing the problem of substance abuse. Hence, the figure of 41.2% has to be taken very seriously, and there’s a need for a strong de-addiction program in jails,” J.S. Thakur, Professor of Community Medicine, and Coordinator at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, told The Hindu.
Dr. Thakur was involved in publishing the second edition of the report titled ‘Roadmap for Prevention and Control of Substance Abuse in Punjab’, which was released in 2022 by PGIMER. In this report, it was revealed that one in seven (15%) people in Punjab are currently dependent both licit and illicit substances, and this figure, when compared in a global context, is much higher than expected. Overall substance use is predominant in men and significantly more common in rural areas of Punjab, it added.
Sandeep Bhola, Deputy Medical Commissioner and consultant psychiatrist in Kapurthala, expressed concern over the figures. “With over 42% convicts and undertrials in jails under the NDPS Act, the figure of actual substance [drug] abusers could be far more, which is a serious matter and needs immediate attention. While there are Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centres in some jails, they have limitations. The government should come up with some mechanism where first-time offenders who have been arrested with a low quantity of narcotic (as per the law), or a substance user, could be sent to rehabilitation centres for treatment and regular follow-up and screening. Also, they can be given vocational training. This would help ease out overcrowding in jails and also keep non-substance abusers at bay,” Dr. Bhola said.
The Punjab Government has been taking steps to turn the State’s jails into reform houses. Random checking is carried out continuously to free the prisons of the State from drugs and mobile phones. According to a government statement, till December 2022, all the prisoners lodged in various prisons of Punjab (approximately 30,000) were screened for drug abuse. Apart from this, in order to design and implement a better de-addiction strategy, a survey of all addicted prisoners lodged in Punjab’s prisons was conducted.
