A woman drug peddler was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Tuesday (May 7) and cash and heroin was recovered from her possession, police said.
Acting on information, a police team intercepted a woman at a checkpoint in Rajbagh area and recovered heroin, Rs 15,670 cash and a mobile in Khanpur area, they said.
The drug peddler identified as Asha Bibi was arrested and a case was registered against her, police said.
She was involved in illegal trade of selling narcotics to the drug addicts of Khanpur area as well as its adjoining area and had kept a huge quantity of narcotics substance in her possession, they said.
Drug addiction is defined as out of control use of drugs despite their negative effects. In recent years Jammu and Kashmir in India has seen an exponential increase in the drug use. According to official data shared by the Central Government in Parliament, the number of people affected by drug abuse in Jammu and Kashmir has reached nearly 10 lakh, which is around 8% of the total population of Jammu and Kashmir. On 4 August 2023 the Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment has conveyed to the Parliament of India that approximately 13.50 lakh drug users are estimated to be in Jammu and Kashmir, with the majority falling within the age range of 18 to 75 year.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Jammu and Kashmir has 60000 drug addicts. In last three years there has been an increase of 1500% in the use of drugs.[ In March 2023, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment stated that approximately one million individuals in the Union territory were grappling with substance abuse. The ministry also revealed that over 50% of these individuals were specifically addicted to opioids. As per a survey carried out by the Jammu and Kashmir administration last year, over 52,000 individuals in Kashmir acknowledged their heroin usage. The survey findings revealed that, on average, a user spent approximately 88,000 rupees ($1,063.54; £860) per month to sustain their drug habit.
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