7% of Indians use narcotics, says Amit Shah, vows to fight menace | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Seven per cent of India’s population uses narcotics, Union home minister Amit Shah informed on Saturday, as he candidly lay out the challenges before the drug enforcement agencies and society and asserted his government’s resolve to quell the menace.
“7 per cent people in India use drugs illegally. Drug abuse is a cancer that destroys the nation’s generations, and we must defeat it. Now is the time when we can contribute to this fight and win it. If we miss this opportunity today, there will be no chance to reverse it later,” Shah said while speaking at a conference on ‘Drug Trafficking and National Security’ at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi.
Shah revealed that narcotics worth Rs 16,914 crore were seized in 2024, the highest-ever since independence. He also launched the ‘Drug Disposal Fortnight’ during which one lakh kilogrammes of narcotics valued around Rs 8,600 crore will be destroyed over the next ten days, sending a message to the public about the govt’s commitment to eradicating drugs.
Shah explained that between 2004 and 2014, 3.63 lakh kg of drugs were seized, which increased seven-fold to 24 lakh kg in 10 years from 2014 to 2024. The value of drugs destroyed in the 10 years between 2004 and 2014 was Rs 8,150 crore, which has increased seven-fold to Rs 56,861 crore in the last 10 years, he added.
The home minister said that this should not be interpreted as an increase in drug usage, but rather that action was now being taken and results are being achieved.
Mentioning that India was one of the largest producers of precursor chemicals, Shah also mentioned that this had become a concern in the fight against drugs. “When strict measures are taken against traditional drugs, a natural diversion towards chemical drugs occurs. At least 50 illegal labs have been caught across the country. We need to stop this diversion immediately,” he added.
Shah that the Modi govt had changed its approach against drugs since 2019. He urged that each case should be seen as an opportunity to dismantle a broader network, ensuring the fight against drugs reaches its logical conclusion.