KATHMANDU, APRIL 6

The government has prepared the Narcotics Prevention and Control National Master Plan to substitute the Narcotics (Control) Act, 1976, which was enacted and implemented nearly 45 years ago.

The five-year master plan was prepared in view of the increasing criminal activities globally due to growing drug trafficking and abuse and futility of the country's youth force caused by drug abuse. It aims to prevent drug abuse and trafficking by creating awareness in society.

The master plan prepared by the Ministry of Home Affairs will be enforced from next year. The legal instrument aims to primarily forge collaboration and partnership among all the stakeholders in a bid to reduce infections from drug abuse, ensure reliable treatment and rehabilitation of drug users, prevent and control illegal trafficking of drug and control crime.

Home Secretary Tek Narayan Pandey said the master plan had been prepared to hit at the root cause of drug trafficking as traffickers and criminals are found to be using people without the least knowledge of future consequences of drug use. The master plan includes activities to be carried out for prevention and control of narcotics and its trafficking from 2022 to 2028.

The number of drug users in Nepal was estimated to be more than 50,000 about 10 years ago.

Due to unplanned urbanisation, increase in organised crime network and expansion of so-called urbanisation, it can be estimated that this number has increased significantly in recent days.

This problem appears to be prevailing in almost all urban areas, including Kathmandu valley, Pokhara, and Dharan, market areas of Nepal, and Nepal-India border points.

The trend of drug abuse and addiction is increasing, particularly among youths belonging to vulnerable groups. On the other hand, drug users who confined themselves to the use of cannabis in the past, have now started using drugs through syringe since the beginning of 1990s. As a result of the change taking place in the mode of multi-drug use and addiction, the number of drug users have been increasingly inflicted by fatal diseases such as malnutrition, anaemia, hepatitis, venereal disease and HIV/ AIDs.

As per the available data, of the total 130,000 drug users, 8,372 are women. The number of drug users is growing by 5.06 per cent annually. Looking at the inmates in prisons, 21 per cent of them have been convicted of drug trafficking.

Home Ministry Spokesperson Phanindra Mani Pokharel said the master plan had been brought to address the issue of growing drug abuse and trafficking.

The policy of the master plan comprises replacing the Narcotic Drugs Control Act, 1976 to formulate protocols and criteria for treatment and rehabilitation centre, incorporating in educational curriculums narcotic drugs and establishment of narcotic drug control, and developing software to analyse narcotic drugs, among others.

The master plan was approved by the home minister last Tuesday. It has now entered the implementation phase. He said its long-term importance was to protect productive youths from drug abuse.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 7, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.