Drug Abuse and Addiction in India: Signs, Help and the Law

India's drug problem is large, and the government has measured it. Its 2019 national survey found that about 16 crore Indians use alcohol, 3.1 crore use cannabis, and roughly 60 lakh people live with an opioid use disorder. If you or someone close to you needs help, the free national de-addiction helpline is 14446. This guide explains how big the problem is, how to spot drug addiction early, what the NDPS law says, and how citizens and agencies together can move India towards a nasha-free future.

Every year on 26 June the world observes the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, also called World Drug Day, an observance led by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The day pushes governments and communities to treat drug use as a health and human-rights issue, prioritise prevention, and offer treatment rather than only punishment.

In India the day usually brings a wave of awareness drives, pledges and enforcement updates. The push is sharper now: in January 2026 the Union Home Minister publicly announced a three-year nationwide campaign for a Drug-Free India and asked states to submit anti-drug roadmaps. So searches and conversations around drug abuse are likely to rise steeply around 26 June.

The most reliable national picture comes from “Magnitude of Substance Use in India” (2019), a survey of 4,73,569 people aged 10 to 75 across all states, carried out by AIIMS for the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. These are its headline findings.

Two findings stand out. First, inhalants are the only category where use is higher among children and adolescents than adults, which makes school-age prevention urgent. Second, India has an estimated 8.5 lakh people who inject drugs, a group at high risk of infection.

The hardest number is about help itself: among people dependent on alcohol, only about 1 in 38 report getting any treatment, and among those dependent on illicit drugs only about 1 in 20 have ever received inpatient treatment. The treatment gap, not just the drug, is the crisis.

People use the words loosely, but they are not the same.

• Drug abuse (harmful use) means using a substance in a way that damages health, work, studies or relationships, even if the person can still stop.
• Drug addiction (dependence) is a medical condition. The person loses control over use, needs larger amounts for the same effect (tolerance), feels sick when they stop (withdrawal), and keeps using despite clear harm.

Addiction is treatable. It is best understood as a health problem, not a moral failure, which is why early help works far better than shame.

No single sign is proof, but a cluster of these over weeks is worth acting on.

• Physical: red or glazed eyes, sudden weight change, poor hygiene, disturbed sleep, frequent unexplained illness, marks on arms.
• Behavioural: secrecy, lying about whereabouts, mood swings, irritability, loss of interest in studies, sport or hobbies, money or valuables going missing.
• Social: new and secretive friend circle, withdrawal from family, dropping grades or attendance, trouble with neighbours or police.

If you notice these in a young person, do not wait for proof. A calm conversation and a call to 14446 is a safer first step than confrontation.

India's main drug law is the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. It is administered by the Department of Revenue (Ministry of Finance), while the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, is the nodal agency that coordinates enforcement across central and state agencies.

The Act grades punishment by the quantity involved:

• Small quantity: lighter punishment, which may extend to up to a year of imprisonment or a fine, or both.
• More than small but less than commercial: rigorous imprisonment that may extend to ten years, with a fine.
• Commercial quantity: the most severe band, with rigorous imprisonment of ten to twenty years and a heavy fine.

Two points matter for ordinary families. Consumption of drugs is itself an offence under Section 27, but the law also recognises addiction as a health problem: under Section 64A, an addict charged with consumption or a small-quantity offence can get immunity from prosecution by volunteering for, and completing, de-addiction treatment at a government-maintained or recognised centre. The immunity can be withdrawn if the person does not complete the treatment. In short, the law leaves a door open for treatment over jail for users who come forward. This is general information, not legal advice; for any specific case you may consider consulting a lawyer.

You do not need to wait for a crisis. Help is free and confidential.

1. Call 14446, the national de-addiction helpline, for primary counselling and a referral to a centre near you.
2. Visit a government-supported de-addiction centre. The number of such centres has grown from about 490 in 2019-20 to 648 in 2023-24, alongside Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts (IRCAs) supported by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
3. Reach a medical college or district hospital. Many run de-addiction or psychiatry departments; AIIMS New Delhi's NDDTC is the country's apex centre.
4. Use MANAS 1933 if the issue is peddling or trafficking in your area; the same line also guides callers towards de-addiction help.

Recovery is rarely one and done. Relapse is common and does not mean failure; it means the treatment plan needs adjusting. Steady support from family matters as much as medicine.

The flagship demand-reduction programme is the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA), launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on 15 August 2020. It began in 272 of the most affected districts, expanded to 372 in 2022, and since 15 August 2023 covers all districts of the country. According to the Ministry, by early 2026 the campaign had reached over 25 crore people, with a strong focus on youth, women and educational institutions.

NMBA rests on a simple division of labour: the NCB curbs supply, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment drives awareness and demand reduction, and the health system provides treatment. The national plan behind it is the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR).

A drug-free India needs supply control, demand reduction and treatment to work as one system, not as separate departments. India already has the institutional design for this; the task is to make it deliver on the ground.

• The coordinating spine, NCORD. The four-tier Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) mechanism, restructured in 2019, links every level: an apex committee under the Union Home Secretary, an executive committee under a Special Secretary in the MHA, state committees under Chief Secretaries, and district committees under District Magistrates. This is the channel through which central and state agencies share intelligence and align action.
• Cut the supply. The NCB, state police, state excise and the Customs and revenue agencies interdict trafficking, while border forces such as the BSF, SSB, Assam Rifles and the Indian Coast Guard guard land and sea routes. Following the money, the Enforcement Directorate can pursue drug proceeds.
• Reduce the demand. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment runs NMBA and the 14446 helpline, taking prevention into communities.
• Treat and rehabilitate. The health system, the 648 government-supported de-addiction centres, the IRCAs and AIIMS-NDDTC turn intent into recovery.
• Reach the young. The Ministry of Education, schools, universities and youth volunteers (NSS, NCC and the MY Bharat network) carry prevention into classrooms before addiction starts.
• Mobilise the community. District committees, panchayats, resident associations, NGOs, religious groups and families close the gap that no agency can reach. The MANAS 1933 helpline lets any citizen report trafficking anonymously.

What would make this machine work better is not more departments but better wiring: one shared data picture of seizures, hotspots and treatment outcomes; treatment over punishment for users who come forward; steady funding and trained counsellors so de-addiction centres are not empty buildings; and measuring outcomes, not just events and pledges. The publicly announced three-year national mission gives this coordination a clear deadline to deliver against.

• Save the numbers 14446 and 1933 in your phone today.
• Talk early and without judgement with children about peer pressure and substances; curiosity and silence are the real risks.
• Watch for the warning signs above, and act on a pattern rather than a single incident.
• Support recovery, not stigma. A person in treatment needs encouragement, not labels.
• Run awareness locally. Schools, colleges and resident associations can hold short sessions around 26 June using NMBA material.

Most of the data and helplines above come from public government sources, and you can ask for more. Under the RTI Act, 2005 you may seek records from your state health or social welfare department on the list and capacity of de-addiction centres, district NMBA activity, or school awareness programmes. Note that the NCB itself is largely exempt from RTI under Section 24, so route such queries to the service-providing departments. To frame a clean request, you can use the AI RTI Drafter.

Drug abuse means using a substance in a way that harms your health, work or relationships, while you can still stop. Drug addiction, or dependence, is a medical condition where a person loses control over use, develops tolerance and withdrawal, and keeps using despite harm. Addiction is treatable with the right help.

Among the substances studied in the 2019 national survey, alcohol is by far the most used, with about 14.6% of people aged 10 to 75, roughly 16 crore, being current users. Cannabis is next at about 2.8%, followed by opioids at about 2.06%.

The national toll-free de-addiction helpline is 14446. Set up by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, it offers primary counselling and immediate referral to a treatment centre. It is free and available to anyone seeking help for themselves or a family member.

Use the MANAS helpline 1933, the national narcotics helpline run by the Narcotics Control Bureau, launched in July 2024. You can report drug peddling or trafficking anonymously by phone, web portal or app, and the same line can also guide you towards de-addiction help.

Consumption of drugs is an offence under Section 27 of the NDPS Act. However, Section 64A allows an addict charged with consumption or a small-quantity offence to get immunity from prosecution by volunteering for de-addiction treatment at a government-recognised centre and completing it. The law treats addiction partly as a health issue, not only a crime.

Call 14446 for a referral, or ask at your district hospital or nearest government medical college, many of which run de-addiction or psychiatry departments. India had about 648 government-supported de-addiction centres in 2023-24, along with Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts supported by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan is India's national drug-demand-reduction campaign, launched on 15 August 2020 and now running in every district. It combines community awareness, counselling and the 14446 helpline, and the Ministry says it had reached over 25 crore people by early 2026.

The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking falls on 26 June each year. Led by the UN, it pushes for prevention, treatment and a health-first response to drug use. In India it anchors awareness drives and, in 2026, a stepped-up national campaign against drugs.

• Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and AIIMS, “Magnitude of Substance Use in India” (2019), figures as released by the Press Information Bureau, 18 February 2019.
• Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, nmba.dosje.gov.in; de-addiction helpline 14446.
• Narcotics Control Bureau, MANAS National Narcotics Helpline 1933, launched July 2024; Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) four-tier mechanism, restructured 2019.
• Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, including Sections 27 and 64A.
• UN Office on Drugs and Crime, International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, 26 June.

• The RTI Playbook for using your information rights with public authorities.
• Blood Donation in India: Who Can Donate and What to Expect.
• AI RTI Drafter to draft a clean RTI application to a health or welfare department.
• First Appeal Builder if a department does not reply within the time limit.