Author: Sayeeswari, Vistas University
TO THE POINT,
The term “DRUG” does hold a mixed sense of addiction, hatred towards healthy lifestyle, grudge on government’s restriction and rules, irresponsibility at peak as a civil citizen leading every step towards illegal activities and becomes a threat to own nation as recognized active criminal. It does create an global impact since every action of a criminal has consequences which is faced and suffered by all over world. To distinguish, there are various kinds of drugs that has brought to attention in past couple of years as most actively used drugs like Marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, psilocybin, LSD and many more drugs that we are not aware of. More than stating the illegality, it has been started to normalise the drug usage in day to day life for reasons like stress, party, wanting more of drug as they say “for fun”,etc. Every local area has supervised by local police station where police officers are aware of illegal drug usage by the local people and pretend unnoticed and that’s how it has been normalised and not prevented from the base. It is a crucial world we are in where people want eeconomic growth, social development, justice for cases that has already brought attention of court, to reduce the crime rate, to change people by insisting and investing liberalists views on their mind but the same mind also works for various illegal actions such as sexual abuse, human trafficking, drug trafficking, modern slavery and many more unnoticed the depth of the issue.
ABSTRACT:
Drugs, the most abolished substances that make people addictive by creating the urge to want more of it since they experience the escapism from reality for their own flexible time period. It has three affecting psychological factors based on its working process to think, to feel and behave. To receive an immense pleasure of setting out of control leads addiction and psychological dependence to tolerate ,compulsion to use again which has terrible consequence based on mental disorders such as anxiety disorders, psychosis, cognitive decline, bipolar disorder, PTSD like symptoms, schizophrenia, etc. It all happens by chemical imbalance, neurotoxicity, genetic vulnerability, psychological trauma. So, trading drugs is the root point of where people easily access the drug whenever they want. Selling drugs is not business ignoring the fact it makes great profit for sellers personally but people tend to believe that it is a place to earn smart including the people who don’t use drugs but sell even when they know it has legal consequences and mental consequence for people who consume it. That’s how all this illegal activities of drug sale, purchase, intake, consequence happens.
USE OF LEGAL JARGON:
Drug trafficking involves manufacturing drugs, conspiracy to traffic, importation and exhortation, all these leads to legal cases to be dealt as legally bounded such as single convention of narcotic drugs on international level was the first convention to prevent drug usage and people started following in their countries. To control and regulate operations relating to drug trafficking dealt by NDPS. To penalize agreement people plan to commit illegal activities leads criminal conspiracy. To regulate the import and export of goods and prevent smuggling. Drugs trafficked with weapons and penalized especially during raids. In US, they’ve established the seriousness and impact of drugs on schedule basis of schedule I to schedule V bases on the potential for abuse and risk of dependence. International narcotic drugs control board monitors implementation and ensures every country is legally bounded while united nation office on drugs and crime provides technical and operational support.
PROOF:
As single convention of narcotic drugs on international level was initiation for awareness of drug usage and its consequence and how it should be dealt, there were other laws related for criminal conspiracy they commit during drug trafficking in various countries such as:
Narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances Act, 1985.(India)
Indian penal code,1860(India)
Customs Act,1962(India)
Arms Act,1959(India)
Prevention of money laundering act,2002.(India).
Misuse of drugs Act, 1971. ( Singapore and United Kingdom)
Controlled substances Act ( united states)
And many more laws related in every country .
To state precisely, Prevention of money laundering is for deal they make to sell and purchase the drug. IPC to prevent criminal conspiracy. Customs Act for cross border smuggling where people make an agreement to exchange drugs crossing border of the country. Wildlife or arms Act if drugs are trafficked while weapons trading and while animal shifting places. These end up with penalties, long term sentence, asset seizure, death penalty( only in specific countries).To discuss about the frequency of all this happening in this generation, of how they normalised, led multiple studies, surveys and health reports to confirm that, according to 2024 report by World Health Organisation, over 35% of young adults are consuming various famous drugs as we already discussed. These findings are backed by toxicology data, school drug screening, self-reported surveys.
CASE LAWS:
1.US v. Joaquin Guzman (2019):
It is a case where Guzman was convicted for multiple charges started from drug trafficking and followed by money laundering, murder.
They say it resulted in a guilty verdict but even if not guilty there’s still punishment of lifetime imprisonment with forfeiture of $12.6 billion in assets. This case is a example for drug trafficking in other countries which expresses criminal conspiracy.
2. Araria Ganja Smuggling Case (Bihar, 2023):
This was a recent case in Bihar, India for drug trafficking. They violated customs Act, NDPS, IPC since two men committed cross border drug smuggling case. On the night of 12th March, 2023 these two men entered India via Bakra River carrying 60 Kg of Ganja also known as Marijuana. The judgment was a hefty fine for each for violating customs act and 14 years of imprisonment.
3. Gurumukh Kapoor vs State of Punjab(2025):
It is a case where they crossed borders for drugs and it was a smuggling network they had .Three individuals got arrested for violating customs Act, NDPS, IPC. Drug (Heroin) of 5.4 kg was seized along with two Chinese made pistols (7.65mm), four magazines also other pistol held in two separate arguments. They were drug traffickers with weapons trading to make it look as something else by hiding the drug. That’s how drug trafficking is clearly done by violating law just for the addiction and the drug was worth 45 crores that day.
4. PABLO Escobar and the Medellin Cartel (1980–1993):It is a famous case known for drug trafficking. Over years, summed in Colombia as an organization led by Escobar known as “King of Cocaine” for trading cocaine and later he was killed by Colombian police in 1993.He has committed most of the criminal activities such as:
Drug trafficking
Arms trafficking
Bombing
Terrorism
Assassinations
Intimidation
Kidnapping
Extortion
Money laundering
CONCLUSION:
Using legal drug for Medical purpose, prescribed by Doctors are considered fine but using illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, Psilocybin, LSD and many more drugs are consumed just for addiction since they have the feel of wanting more to escape reality and a psychological brain break from thinking happens from Chemical Imbalance and Neurotoxicity after or during drug consumption.
As we discussed the level of illegal activities done by drug trafficking leads not only legal consequences but also has mental trauma to deal with for consumption and the helplessness after committing crime. For example, being imprisoned for lifetime for committing illegal activities like drug trafficking, weapon trading leading the helplessness to not get outside and live like normal civil people by satisfying basic needs without dealing guilt for lifetime in prison.
FAQS
1) What are the flaws in NDPS or laws need to be strengthened based on drug trafficking?
Ans: There are well-known laws to punish people who are involved in drug trafficking but there should be laws to prevent drug trafficking, since spreading awareness does not help people to stop purchasing or selling or consuming, but making laws that stop manufacturing drugs illegally by catching the issue starting right from the root helps.So, modify laws that are already present with punishments. Need more terrorizing actions to be taken.
2) How intensely does drug intake affect a person?
To start with, US has Schedule I to V mentioned about the affecting factors of certain drug consumption for awareness and likewise, the substance has a certain risk level stated psychologically so that people decide how much high they want to get no matter what mental issues it leads. It starts from anxiety disorders when they are not high on drugs which triggers more drug intake to avoid anxiety and followed by bipolar, schizophrenia, psychosis, cognitive decline, PTSD like symptoms, etc.
3) What’s the life without drug consumption?
A healthy lifestyle without addiction of any drug or the urge to want more by maintaining a physically healthy body and mentally healthy as well. It is simple to have a daily workout, good food intake, being responsible and especially having a routine unlike addicts since they don’t have a schedule or way of lifestyle. Most of the addicts are unemployed and face poverty.
4) What age group are mostly affected by drug usage and how?
The age group of 15 to 29 are the young teenagers and adults who are affected by drug experimenting and addiction. The common reasons are peer pressure and mental health struggles. To talk about teenagers experimenting drugs are mostly triggered by social media contributing by glamorizing drug consumption, making it appear normal and desirable especially introducing machines for easy and fast preparation for the way of consumption and advertising it on social media is the worst.@buffalo_magnum is one of the Instagram page who artificially establish & normalise the easy preparation emphasising wrongly established technology.
