NARCOTIC DRUGS AND PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES ACT: A CRITICAL REVIEW

Abstract

The global menace of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances demand an elaborate legal framework to check and control its growth and trafficking especially the way it bears upon the Indian society(Laila, 2021). Introduced in 1985, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, formed the basis of Indian legislation against drug trafficking and abuse (Rinaldi et al., 2020).This chapter critically analyses the NDPS Act discussing its major provisions, extended changes and judicial application, and evaluates the utility of the law in the resolution of drug control problems of all dimensions in India. This includes examining the history behind the Act, the compatibility of the provisions with international law, and the real application of the Act on the ground, featuring the Act’s successes as well as flaws in the current context.