Amendments to the NDPS Act
- Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Act,1988 (2 of 1989), 1989: The NDPS Act has undergone a significant revision that includes harsher guidelines and the insertion of Section 27A for financing illegal activity. Production, possession, sale, purchase, transit, warehousing, and anyone detained under section 27A is all considered to be involved in trafficking illicit narcotics.
- Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Act, 2001: This updated law aims to rationalize sentences by improving their objectivity. Addicts could now negotiate the law more easily, and bail was also liberalized.
- Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Act, 2014: The NDPS Amendment 2014 went into effect on May 1st, 2014. The NDPS Act’s Section 71 outlines how drug cases should be handled, including the regulations for treatment facilities. The Act’s high-level offenses were subject to harsher penalties as a result of the earlier changes, which also made drug use illegal. Morphine producers just need a single license from the relevant State Drugs Controller, as opposed to the previous process that required numerous permits with various validity periods and lengthy stages. The amendment prevented state-by-state disagreement by achieving uniform regulation across the nation. Patients now have easier access to a number of necessary drugs that are utilized in pharmaceutical formulations, including morphine, fentanyl, and methadone. As a compromise, the death penalty was changed to a specific 30-year term for repeat offenders found guilty of trafficking substantial amounts of drugs. The maximum punishment for “small amount” offences has now been increased from 6 months to 1 year as a result of this revision.
- Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2021:
The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was presented in the Lok Sabha on December 6, 2021. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 will be replaced by it. The bill amends the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 to fix a drafting error. The Act describes the laws and standards governing specific activities involving narcotic and psychotropic substances (such as their production, transportation, and consumption). When the Act was revised in 2014, the definition of unlawful activity was altered. The language in this section, which still makes reference to the preceding clause number about the penalties for funding such illegal actions, was not changed. There is a new clause added to the section on penalties in the Bill.
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act
To combat drug misuse and outlaw its use, distribution, manufacturing, and trade, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act) was enacted in 1985. Narcotic medicines cause drowsiness, whereas psychotropic substances affect the mind and alter it for the better. The NDPS Act was approved by the Indian Parliament on November 14th, 1985. In the practice of medicine, several substances have a position. As a result, the Act contains provisions for the growth of cannabis, poppies, and coca plants as well as the production of psychoactive compounds related to their growth.
Its main goal is to control the production, acquisition, distribution, and transportation of pharmaceuticals that are regarded as narcotics or psychotropics. This law makes it illegal to sell 200 psychoactive medications to walk-in clients. These medications can only be purchased with prescriptions. Since the law’s creation, numerous changes have been made to it. Furthermore, the NDPS does not distinguish between hard-core criminals engaged in this activity and drug consumers and traffickers. Without the approval of the relevant authorities, it is illegal for anybody to manufacture, produce, cultivate, possess, sell, buy, transport, store, or consume any drug or substance that is regarded as a narcotic or psychotropic. Thus, the purpose of this article is to draw attention to the NDPS Act’s requirements.
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