State cops sensitised on NDPS Act
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 21 2013: A sensitisation programme for police officers on the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985 was held today at Hotel Nirmala here.

The sensitisation programme was jointly organised by the Manipur State Legal Services Authority, Community Network for Empowerment, Manipur State AIDS Control Society and the Centre for Advocacy and Research.

Speaking at the programme, Sujakanta of the Centre for Advocacy and Research observed that police have been checking and frisking youngsters on the roads in their efforts to check drug abuse and drug peddling.

But the same exercise hurt drug dependent youngsters who are receiving service under the Government of India's harm reduction programme.

Those youngsters who have been receiving service under the harm reduction programme are detained by police for carrying syringes and OST drugs.

Resource person speaking

Fearing detention and harassment by police, there are youngsters who do not go for obtaining syringes.

When they do not go for new syringes, they share and use any available syringe which often turns out to be used ones.

Thus, the risk of HIV and Hepatitis C transmission is raised manifold.

Today's programme was specifically organised to sensitise police officers on these issues and plug the gap between police and drug dependent youngsters, Sujakanta said.

Prof RK Lenin of RIMS Psychiatric Department presented a paper on 'drug use prevention and treatment options'.

He said that every section of the society should share due responsibility in any effort to bring back drug dependent people to normalcy.

Corporal punishment and banishment from the society would not be able to wean them away from drugs.

They are aware of the ill effects of drug abuse but they just cannot give up drugs.

They find it very hard to bear the agony of withdrawal symptoms when they give up drugs.

The Government took up the harm reduction programme in view of the negative impacts on health, time and money lost in procuring drugs and tendency to commit crimes.

It is more convenient to treat drug dependent people under the harm reduction programme, Prof Lenin said.

Supreme Court Advocate DB Goswami spoke on the topic 'arrest and prosecution under NDPS Act' .

Police or paramilitary force may frisk a suspected person under NDPS Act but the frisking should be done in presence of Magistrate or a gazetted officer.

IG Intelligence KT Vaiphei conceded that drugs are being smuggled in and out of Manipur in illegal manner.

Manipur being a route for drug smuggling, many youngsters took to drugs and they became drug dependent ultimately.

However, many police officers are unaware of the harm reduction programme thereby creating lot of inconveniences, Vaiphei conceded.

Manipur State Legal Services Authority member secretary A Guneshwar and NCB Public Prosecutor N Brojen too spoke at the programme.