Harmful Use of Alcohol/Drugs

The data from Government treatment centres as maintained by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), AIIMS, Ghaziabad (U.P.) through its Drug Abuse Monitoring System (DAMS) reveal that during the last five years 2007-2011, out of 41910 new treatment seekers, 2731 (6.5%) were abusers of sedatives / anxiolytics and an additional about 0.5% people were abusing stimulants.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which is the nodal Ministry for all matters relating to “Alcoholism and substance (drug) abuse and rehabilitation of addicts/families” as per the Government of India (Allocation of Business Rules), 1961, has informed that the had conducted a national survey on drug abuse in the country in the year 2000-2001 in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Report was published in 2004 wherein it was estimated that about 732 lakh persons in India were users of alcohol and drugs. However, the sample size being small (40,697 males only) vis-a-vis the country's population, the estimates can at best be taken as indicative only. That Ministry has requested the NSSO to carry out an advanced pilot survey in 3 States viz. Punjab, Maharashtra and Manipur to test the efficacy of the sampling design and survey instruments for National Survey. That Ministry has informed that detailed national survey to gauge the extent, pattern and trends of drug abuse in the country will be taken up after reviewing the report of the advanced pilot survey in these States