Drug abuse. A serious social problem

Drug abuse
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1. INTRODUCTIO
Drug abuse is a serious social problem. The drug abuse is growing and an ever increasing number of youth is becoming addicted. The smuggling of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances into India, and illegal trafficking in such drugs and substances lave led to drug addiction among a sizeable section of the public, particularly the adolescents has assumed serous and alarming proportions in the recent years. Drug addiction threatens to kill the whole generation. No individual, family or community is safe where illicit drugs take control. Drugs may control the body and mind of individual consumers, the drug crop and drug cartels may control farmers, illicit trafficking and crime may control communities. Drugs destroy lives and communities, undermine sustainable human development and generate crime. Drugs affect all sectors of society; in particular, the young people.[1] In light of this statutory control over narcotic drugs are exercised.
The statutory control over narcotic drugs in India is exercised through a number of Central and State enactments. The Opium Act of 1857, Opium Act of 1878 and the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1930 were enacted a long time ago. However with the increase in drug abuse and illicit drug traffic certain deficiencies in the existing laws surfaced which made it necessary for the Parliament to enact a comprehensive legislation to combat this challenge. Some deficiencies are as follows:
1. The schemes of penalties under those Acts were not sufficient to meet the challenge of well organized gangs of smugglers. For e.g. the Dangerous Drugs Act, 1930 provides for a maximum term of imprisonment of 3 years with or without fine and 4 years with or without fine for repeat offences.
2. Since the enactment of those Acts a vast body of international law in the field of narcotics control has evolved. For e.g. the Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 and Article 12 of the International...