Punjab- a State synonymous to heroism and at the same time extensive drug abuse. It also is known that most of the drugs are pushed into Punjab from Pakistan. This percentage has fallen to 12% in 2016 but in 2014,it was 43%. This may look like an improvement but experts fear that with this reduction, the dealers will sell diluted heroin into the state so as to maintain a large market.
On February 4 the State will head to the polls, and a rise has been observed in the sale of diluted drugs ahead of this. Political parties like AAP and Congress through their election campaign have promised to put a stop to this menace within a month of their election.
Kaustubh Sharma, the zonal director of Narcotics Control Bureau said that in the recent seizes there has been a steady decline in the quality of Heroin that is being pushed into the state from Pakistan. In 2013, every kilo of Heroin had a purity of 43% to 44%. In 2015, this purity percentage went down to 23% and in in the most recent seize this percentage has reduced to 11%. But the price of these drugs has skyrocketed, from Rs. 3.5 lakhs per kg in 2013 it has now gone up to Rs. 6 lakhs in 2016.
Speaking about the issue, Kaustubh Sharma said, “It could be that smugglers are trying to make more money and at the same time, the less potent drug would probably cause fewer overdose deaths and draw less attention.” When the drug is initially pushed by dealers from the USA into different countries by the drug lords it is in the purest form, but going down the supply chain it becomes completely diluted by the time it reaches drug addicts. This should be monitored as the drugs in diluted form have more harmful affects than pure form.
NCB and the Border Security Forces in 2015 recovered a total of 183 kg heroin and apart from this, the Punjab Police seized 307 kg of drugs. This number dipped in 2016, where by November the NCB and BSF seized 135.3 kg of Heroin and Punjab Police seized 91.3 kg of other drugs. The purity of the drug seized cannot be yet verified as the police have no means of testing the potency of the drug being pushed into the Country.
