21.4% of Indians consume alcohol, 3% hooked to cannabis, says RTI reply

Times of India: New Delhi: Thursday, 27 August 2015.

Punjab, Maharashtra, Manipur, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are among the top 10 states where consumption of alcohol and narcotic drugs is higher than the rest of the country, according to a RTI response from home ministry.

Quoting a survey conducted by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC), the National Institute of Social Defence, a wing of MHA, has submitted that 21.4% Indians consume alcohol while 3% consume cannabis. The RTI was filed by a Delhi resident Ved Pal following recent cases of lives lost due to consumption of illicit alcohol in the country.

The RTI reply also mentions the list of 19 states and Union Territories that are in "major grasp" of alcohol and drugs. Seven of these states are from north India including Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Except Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura, all other states from the North East are in the list.

"Governments take the credit that they have earned crores of rupees through taxes and excise duty from the sale of alcohol. But governments should not be into this money making business. The entire amount that they have earned so far should be spent on creating awareness against consumption of alcohol and the rehabilitation of the addicts," Ved Pal said.

The UNODC study on "National Survey on Extent, Pattern and Trends of Drug Abuse in India" that was released in 2004 had found that alcohol, cannabis and opiates are the major substances of abuse in India and the prevalence of drug abuse among males is significant. It had also found how women face the worst and are under huge burden if any member in their families is addicted to alcohol or drugs.

It had recommended the need to have schemes to attract drug users for treatment and developing programmes for vulnerable groups such as youth, street children, women and prisons.