New Delhi: The Central government has no plan to decriminalise personal consumption of drugs, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Choudhary informed Parliament in a written statement on the first day of Budget Session’s second half.
Choudhary was responding to a query from Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi. Bordoloi, who sought to know whether the Union government proposes to amend the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act to decriminalise usage of personal consumption of drugs, treating drug consumers as victims rather than culprits, as recommended by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment last October.
The Parliament passed NDPS Act 2021 during the Winter session in December whereby the NDPS Act 1985 was amended to correct a drafting error that considered financing certain illicit activities or harbouring persons engaged in them as an offence.
Possession of drugs is currently a criminal offence and the NDPS Act grants immunity from prosecution and imprisonment if they volunteer for rehabilitation.
