The Jammu and Kashmir administration has reported a steep surge in drug-related crimes in the Union Territory, with 1,978 cases registered in the past 15 months, leading to 2,897 arrests and 350 detentions under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
In 2024 alone, 1,514 cases were filed, resulting in 2,260 arrests and 274 detentions, authorities said. The trend has continued into the first quarter of 2025, during which 464 cases were registered, with 637 arrests and 76 detentions made.
In a continued crackdown on narcotics, the administration also reported the seizure of properties worth Rs 12 crore in cases involving commercial quantities of drugs.
Efforts to counter the drug menace have also included widespread crop destruction and awareness campaigns. In 2023–2024, poppy plantations over 273 acres and cannabis grown on 1,642 acres were destroyed across the UT.
“To raise public awareness, over 1,900 programmes were organised at the district level, with Kupwara and Handwara districts alone conducting 347 events,” officials added.
The administration has also emphasised capacity-building and disciplinary enforcement. Since 2022, 195 training sessions were held for 4,267 officials. In 2024, 27 departmental inquiries were initiated, leading to 16 disciplinary punishments.
Approximately 20 de-addiction and treatment centres are currently operational across Jammu and Kashmir. These facilities registered 2,332 new patients and recorded 77,382 follow-up visits in the first three months of 2025.
The police and social welfare departments further reported 1,762 new outpatient cases and 450 inpatient admissions in 2024. The administration has planned to expand services to Kulgam, Shopian, Pulwama, and Ganderbal districts.
Regulatory action against lenient or non-compliant pharmacies included the review of 22,379 drug licenses in 2025. Authorities said this resulted in 73 suspensions and four cancellations.
In August 2023, a parliamentary report estimated that nearly 1.35 million of the Valley’s 12 million residents were drug users—an alarming jump from the 350,000 users cited in a 2022 survey by the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) at the Government Medical College, Srinagar.
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