“From Afeem to Chitta: How Political & Police Patronage Is Fueling Drug Menace in Haryana”

Gustakhi Maaf Haryana- Pawan Kumar Bansal

Illegal drugs business flourishing under political and Police patronage –

Our investigation.

Continuous training, overviewing and monitoring by the CM office Haryana to ensure “Zero Tolerance” is need of hour, which although is a Herculean Task for the Drug Addiction is cause of our concerns for our youth.

Youth are often found addicts to Opium (अफ़ीम )and its derivatives like morphine, diethyl morphine(Heroine or Chitta), Cannabis hashish, ganja etc which all are plant origin and cultivated indegeniously in some of our States like Madhya Pradesh Rajasthan UP etc and also smuggled in to and outside country.

Heroine which is also called “Chitta” because to its pure white colour is rarely available and misused in pure form (being costly 1-3 Cr per kg) and is used as mixture with neutral substances (to contain 10% to 50% etc of Heroine) to reduce its cost and make it affordable to the addicts. Another group of bad elements adulterate Heroine for monetary gains purposes.

All these addiction causing drugs are included in the NDPS Act 1985 under definition of “Narcotic Drugs” and police is empowerd to enforce the NDPS Act १९८५ and is presently enforcing this Act. But because of multiple reasons, like casual official approach, incompetency, lack of appropriate knowledge, and political interference etc the enforcement of NDPS Act is weak, resulting in inability of the State to curb this menace, leading to such untimely tragedies of our youth. Proper continuous training, overviewing and monitoring by the CM office to ensure “Zero Tolerance” is need of hour, which although is a Herculean Task for the State but not impossible.

Since last around 50 years, however, we are unable to tackle this menace which is engulfing our youth day by day. It was affem ( अफ़ीम ) or post ( पोस्त )addiction to old age persons previously, when permits were being issued by the health department for their genuine requirement.

Journey from “affem to Chitta” has taken numerous innocent lives giving sleepless nights to their parents while State machinery is silent. Although the State is stated to be making efforts but at grounds it does not looks like.
This is not an impossible task but need commitment and will of the government.

When the government can reverse sex ratio of the State which is a “natural phenomenon” why it can not take care of this menace. We need “commitment to duty”, and not to simply “performance of duty”

Second part of the addiction is of “medical intoxicants” which is cause of State’s concern and has taken a very bad shape. Medicines or drugs which are used to cure the patients in our healthcare system, are misused for addiction purposes ( like diazepam, alprazolam, clonazepam, Buprenorphine, Tramadol, fortwin etc) which are included under definition of “drug” & are regulated under Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 as well as are included as “Psychotropic Substances” under NDPS Act 1940 and Rules 1945, therefore involves the roles of police as well as Drugs Inspectors to curb menace thereof.

But unfortunately neither the police not the drug regulators are able to control this menace in spite of their best efforts.
Basically it is drug regulator’s job to regulate production, supply, utilisation, disposal etc. of medical intoxicants and police role is limited. If their statutory duty is performed with dedication, commitment, and honesty, there is no question of existence of such a menace.

Every unit of medical intoxicant (tab/cap/injection/powder etc.) which is manufactured by the manufacturer company is having its traceability till its final disposal. Therefore, there is dire need to ensure intactness of this chain of traceability and any breakage of this chain need to be taken seriously.

Unfortunately, there are gaps of ensuring intactness of this chain and loose points in checking at various levels, including production sites as well as supply side results in misuse of such medical intoxicants. Multiple reasons like inadequacy of regulators, incompetency, lack of infrastructure, lack of will apart from corruption are some of the obstacles which need to be plugged.

Again we need ,”strong will” not anything else to curb this menace of medical intoxicants which is assuming alarming shape than the menace of Narcotics. Managing or tackling Medical intoxicants menace is comparatively easier than the Narcotics.

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