PATNA: The percentage population consuming gang and charas in the state is much below the national average but, of late, it is showing a rising trend, as per the Narcotics Control Bureau figures.
NCB zonal director (Bihar & Jharkhand) Kumar Manish said the national average is 1.2% of the population, which consumes ganja and charas as per a study of the ministry of social justice and empowerment in 2019.
“Bihar’s average that time was 1.1%.
But it has been observed later that there has been a rising trend,” Manish told TOI in reply to queries on the eve of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which is observed every year on June 26.
This year’s theme for the day is ‘Share facts on drugs, save lives’, set by the UN for combating misinformation and encouraging exchange of drug facts.
The NCB also released data showing an increase in seizure of drugs in the state over the last few years.
As per the data, the NCB seized 12.3kg ganja, 1.9kg opium and 2.02kg charas in 2015 and 496.5kg ganja, 8.18kg opium and 31.5kg charas in 2016.
The figures jumped to 14.8 tonnes of ganja, 5.45kg opium and 114.05kg charas in 2017 and 6.4 tonnes of ganja, 5.5kg opium and 212.83kg charas in 2018.
In 2019, the NCB seized 6.67 tonnes of ganja, 7.5kg opium and 33.3kg charas while in 2020, 4.89 tonnes of ganja, 15kg opium and 103.9kg charas were seized in Bihar.
This year, with six months still to go, the NCB has already seized 4.82 tonnes of ganja, 5.25kg opium and 48.8kg charas.
When asked, Manish said Bihar’s traditional trend has already remained towards ganja consumption.
“Synthetic drug consumption trend is almost nil.
Liquor addicts also shifted towards drug abuse after prohibition in 2016,” he said.
The director, however, said that increased seizure of drugs, especially ganja, also reflects effective crackdown by the law enforcement agencies.
He said the percentage population consuming opioid in the state is 0.1%, which is much less than the national average of 0.7%.
“Bihar is at the bottom in opioid consumption.
It’s also at the bottom in sedatives consumption with 0.01% of population using it against the national average of 0.2%,” he said.
As per the NCB data, drug abuse and trafficking has increased since 2020 Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, but it has also created unprecedented public awareness about health and measures for staying healthy and protecting each other.