India News | Maha Asks Centre to Reduce Banned Drug Possession Quantity to 5 Kg to Widen NDPS Scope
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Maharashtra government has requested the Centre to modernise NDPS Act and reduce the possession quantity of banned drugs under certain categories from the existing 20 kg to 5 kg so that the person possessing them cannot claim to be a victim under law and face action.
Mumbai, Jul 18 (PTI) The Maharashtra government has requested the Centre to modernise NDPS Act and reduce the possession quantity of banned drugs under certain categories from the existing 20 kg to 5 kg so that the person possessing them cannot claim to be a victim under law and face action.
This information was given by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the legislative assembly while responding to a query raised by opposition MLAs.
He also said bringing down the quantity of the banned drugs in possession would ensure that the possessor can be prosecuted either as a supplier or for using drugs for commercial purposes.
“The current NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act 1985 is very old and it needs to be amended as per the changing times. The Act differentiates between a consumer and a supplier. Several banned drugs such as marijuana, if found to be less than 20 kg on a person, then he or she has to be treated as a victim and not as a supplier," Fadnavis said.
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Once such a person is established as the victim, then the punishment is not very severe which allows him to use the pretext of being a victim, he said.
“We have requested the Union government to reduce the possession quantity of banned drugs to 5 kg so that such person can be prosecuted as a supplier or for using the drugs for commercial purposes. With such legal support, the law can be effective,” said Fadnavis, who also holds the Home Ministry.
Fadnavis said social media, emojis, code language, private courier services etc are currently being used as modes for trafficking drugs.
“We have also asked the Union government to modernise the NDPS Act to make it effective and support the police to take stringent action,” he added.
Responding to a query on the use of some syrups or other medicines as drugs, Fadnavis said a meeting was held with the association of pharmacists in Maharashtra and they are told to install CCTV cameras in their shops.
"We also asked them to generate bills of every transaction to help in curbing such practice," he said.
Fadanvis said the state government has also requested the Centre to extend the period for filing a chargesheet in NDPS cases to 180 days from the current 90 days.
The home minister also stated that after 1971, police stations used to have staff as per the population in their jurisdiction.
“No such provision was there in the past. Now, we will deploy PSIs and police inspectors as per the population in their jurisdiction,” he added.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)