Drug abuse and misuse has become a major threat to the society today. With the growth of population and the modernization of society this growing menace has gained a huge momentum which needs to be eradicated from the roots so as to safeguard a huge number of youngsters from indulging into it and preventing it from spreading further. Drug abuse and misuse has largely affected the youths of the society who if once involved in it, find it difficult to overcome its effect which leaves a human being in vain. By drug abuse, we refer to the habit of consuming drugs on a regular basis and thereby it intensifies the desire to indulge in the intake of various types of drugs. Grave consequences are seen to emerge out of severe drug addictions. The contemporary scenario reflects the evil effects of the drug menace. A person who once gets addicted to drugs becomes a slave to it and is ready to do anything in order to receive a dose of it. Here anything would actually mean anything, which may include theft, murder, rape, robbery etc. Till date this growing menace has only caused widespread increase in the crime rate and has been the biggest source for the miserable lives of the youths.
The reasons behind the growing abuse and misuse of drugs are the lack of awareness among the people, most importantly amongst the youths who have been the main victims of it. It is seen that mostly students who dwell in the hostels and stay away from home become victims of drug intake. There can be several causes behind the growing rate of drug abuse which includes tensions, anxieties or depressions or an unstable state of mind.
Article 47 of the Indian Constitution which enshrines the Directive Principles of State Policy, lays down that the state is duty bound to prevent the consumption of intoxicating drinks and drugs except the consumption of it for medicinal purposes which are not injurious to health. There are three most significant UN Conventions, namely, Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961, Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971, Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988, which have had a great influence upon the Indian legal provisions to curb the abuse and misuse of drugs. India has been a signatory to the UN Conventions and has also drawn notable legislation on the basis of the provisions of these Conventions. One of the most important legislations amongst them is the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has taken great measures to effectively implement schemes for the Prohibition and Drug Abuse Prevention. The Narcotics Control Bureau under the Ministry Of Home Affairs has been rendering aid, assisting both Central and State Governments with regards to curbing the menace. Each state has established its own health and social welfare departments which undertake campaigns to spread awareness to eradicate such evils.
