Two separate pieces of legislations are likely to be piloted to amend the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances ( NDPS ) Act, 1985. These chemicals are regulated balancing the need for their legitimate trade with the need to prevent their diversion to illicit channels, they added.The NDPS Act empowers the government to declare any substance as a 'controlled substance' after considering its possible use in the production or manufacture of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances. The Narcotics Control Bureau has however sought clarity on agencies and departments which will be responsible for rehabilitation and deaddiction programmes. As first reported by ET on November 12, the government may introduce the NDPS amendment bill in the upcoming Parliament session. "The amendments planned are to 'rationalise the sentence structure to ensure that while traffickers of significant quantities of drugs are punished with deterrent sentences, the addicts and those who commit less serious offences are sent for rehabilitation or sentenced to less severe punishment'," said another official.

Source: Economic Times November 25, 2021 07:03 UTC