THE NARCOTIC DRUGS AND PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES ACT, 1985 | Government Acts(By Topic)

An Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to narcotic drugs, to make stringent provisions for the control and regulation of operations relating to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances¹[to provide for the forfeiture of property derived from, or used in, illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, to implement the provisions of the International Conventions on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances] and for matters connected therewith.

BE it enacted by Parliament in the Thirty-sixth Year of the Republic of India as follows: -

CHAPTER I: PRELIMINARY

1. Short title, extent and commencement

(1) This Act may be called the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

(2) It extends to the whole of India.

(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint, and different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act and for different States and any reference in any such provision to the commencement of this Act shall be construed in relation to any State as a reference to the coming into force of that provision in that State.

2. Definitions

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-

(i) "addict" means a person addicted to any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance;

(ii) "Board" means the Central Board of Excise and Customs constituted under the Central Boards of Revenue Act, 1963;

(iii) "cannabis (hemp)" means-

(a) charas, that is, the separated resin, in whatever form, whether crude or purified, obtained from the cannabis plant and also includes concentrated preparation and resin know as hashish oil or liquid hashish;

(b) ganja, that is, the flowering or fruiting tops of the cannabis plant (excluding the seeds and leaves when not accompanied by the tops), by whatever name they may be know or designated; and

(c) any mixture, with or without any neutral material, of any of the above forms of cannabis or cannabis or an drink prepared therefrom;

(iv) "cannabis plant" means any plant of the genus cannabis;

(v) "coca derivative" means-

(a) crude cocaine, that is, any extract of coca leaf which can be used, directly or indirectly, for the manufacture of cocaine;

(b) ecgonine and all the derivatives of ecgonine from which it can be recovered;

(d) all preparations containing more than 0.1 per cent. of cocaine;

(vi) "coca leaf" means-

(a) the leaf of the coca plant except a leaf from which all ecgonine cocaine and any other ecgonine alkaloids have been removed;

(b) any mixture thereof with or without any neutral material,

but does not include any preparation containing not more than 0.1 per cent. of cocaine;

(vii) "coca plant " means the plant of any species of the genus Errythroxylon;

²[(viia) "Controlled substance" means any substance which the Central Government may, having regard to the available information as to its possible use in the production or manufacture of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances or to the provisions of any International Convention, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare to be a controlled substances;]

(viii) "conveyance" means a conveyance of any description whatsoever and includes any aircraft, vehicle or vessel;

³[(viiia) "illicit traffic", in relation to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, means-

(i) cultivating any coca plant or gathering any portion of coca plant;

(ii) cultivating the opium poppy or any cannabis plant;

(iii) engaging in the production, manufacture, possession, sale, purchase, transportation, warehousing, concealment, use or consumption, import inter-State, export inter-State, import into India, export from India or transshipment, of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances;

(iv) dealing in any activities in narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances other than those referred to in sub-clauses (i) to (iii); or

(v) handling or letting out any premises for the carrying on of any of the activities referred to in sub-clauses (i) to (iv),

other than those permitted under this Act, or any rule or order made or any condition of any licence, term or authorisation issued, thereunder, and includes-

(1) financing, directly or indirectly, any of the aforementioned activities;

(2) abetting or conspiring in the furtherance of or in support of doing any of the aforementioned activities; and

(3) harbouring persons engaged in any of the aforementioned activities;]

(ix) "International Convention" means-

(a) the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 adopted by the United Nations Conference at New York in March, 1961;

(b) the Protocol, amending the Convention mentioned in sub-clause (a), adopted by the United Nations Conference at Geneva in March, 1972;

(c) the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971 adopted by the United Nations Conference at Vienna in February, 1971; and

(d) any other international convention, or protocol or other instrument amending an international convention, relating to narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances which may be ratified or acceded to by India after the commencement of this Act;

(x) "manufacture", in relation to narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances, includes-

(1) all processes other than production by which such drugs or substances may be obtained;

(2) refining of such drugs or substances;

(3) transformation of such drugs or substances; and

(4) making of preparation (otherwise than in a pharmacy on prescription) with or containing such drugs or substances;

(xi) "manufactured drug" means-

(a) all coca derivatives, medicinal cannabis, opium derivative and poppy straw concentrate;

(b) any other narcotic substance or preparation which the Central Government may, having regard to the available information as to its nature or to a decision, if any, under any International Convention, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare to be a manufactured drug;

but does not include any narcotic substance or preparation which the Central Government may, having regard to the available information as to its nature or to a decision, if any, under any International Convention, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare not to be a manufactured drug;

(xii) "medicinal cannabis". that is, medicinal hemp, means any extract or tincture of cannabis (hemp);

(xiii) "Narcotics Commissioner" means the Narcotics Commissioner appointed under section 5;

(xiv) "narcotic drug" means coca leaf, cannabis (hemp), opium, poppy straw and includes all manufactured drugs;

(xv) "opium" means-

(a) the coagulated juice of the opium poppy; and

(b) any mixture, with or without any neutral material, of the coagulated juice of the opium poppy,

but does not include any preparation containing not more than 0.2 per cent. of morphine;

(xvi) "opium derivative" means-

(a) medicinal opium, that is, opium which has undergone the processes necessary to adapt it for medicinal use in accordance with the requirements of the Indian Pharmacopoeia or any other pharmacopoeia notified in this behalf by the Central Government, whether in powder form or granulated or otherwise or mixed with neutral materials;

(b) prepared opium, that is, any product of opium obtained by any series of operations designed to transform opium into an extract suitable for smoking and the dross or other residue remaining after opium is smoked;

(d) diacetylmorphine, that is, the alkaloid also known as dia-morphine or heroin and its salts; and

(e) all preparations containing more than 0.2 per cent. of morphine or containing any diacetylmorphine;

(xvii) "opium poppy" means-

(a) the plant of the species Papaver somniferum L.; and

(b) the plant of any other species of Papaver from which opium or any phenanthrene alkaloid can be extracted and which the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare to be opium poppy for the purposes of this Act;

(xviii) "poppy straw" means all parts (except the seeds) of the opium poppy after harvesting whether in their original form or cut, crushed or powdered and whether or not juice has been extracted therefrom;

(xix) "poppy straw concentrate" means the material arising when poppy straw has entered into a process for the concentration of its alkaloids;

(xx) "preparation", in relation to a narcotic drug or psychotropic substance, means any one or more such drugs or substances in dosage form or any solution or mixture, in whatever physical state, containing one or more such drugs or substances;

(xxi) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;

(xxii) "production" means the separation of opium, poppy straw, coca leaves or cannabis from the plants from which they are obtained;

(xxiii) "psychotropic substance" means any substance, natural or synthetic, or any natural material or any salt or preparation of such substance or material included in the list of psychotropic substances specified in the Schedule;

(xxiv) "to import inter-State" means to bring into a State or Union territory in India from another State or Union territory in India;

(xxv) "to import into India", with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions, means to bring into India from a place outside India and includes the bringing into any port or airport or place in India of a narcotic drug or a psychotropic substance intended to be taken out of India without being removed from the vessel, aircraft, vehicle or any other conveyance in which it is being carried.

Explanation-For the purposes of this clause and clause (xxvi), "India" includes the territorial waters of India;

(xxvi) "to export from India", with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions, means to take out of India to a place outside India;

(xxvii) "to export inter-State" means to take out of a State or Union territory in India to another State or Union territory in India;

(xxviii) "to transport" means to take from one place to another within the same State or Union territory;

⁴[(xxviiia) "use", in relation to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, means any kind of use except personal consumption;]

(xxix) words and expressions used herein and not defined but defined in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 have the meanings respectively assigned to them in that Code.

Explanation.-For the purposes of clauses (v), (vi), (xv) and (xvi) the percentages in the case of liquid preparations shall be calculated on the basis that a preparation containing one per cent. of a substance means a preparation in which one gram of substance, if solid, or one mililitre of substances, if 'liquid, is contained in every one hundred mililitre of the preparation and so on in proportion for any greater or less percentage:

Provided that the Central Government may, having regard to the developments in the field of methods of calculating percentages in liquid preparations prescribe, by rules, any other basis which it may deem appropriate for such calculation.

3. Power to add to or omit from the list of psychotropic substances.

The Central Government may, if satisfied that it is necessary or expedient so to do on the basis of-

(a) the information and evidence which has become available to it with respect to the nature and effects of, and the abuse or the scope for abuse of, any substance (natural or synthetic) or natural material or any salt or preparation of such substance or material; and

(b) the modifications or provisions (if any) which have been made to, or in, any International Convention with respect to such substance, natural material or salt or preparation of such substance or material,

by notification in the Official Gazette, add to, or, as the case may be, omit from, the list of psychotropic substances specified in the Schedule such substance or natural material or salt or preparation of such substance or material.

CHAPTER II : AUTHORITIES AND OFFICERS

4. Central Government to take measures for preventing and combating abuse of and illicit traffic in narcotic drugs, etc.

(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the Central Government shall take all such measures as it deems necessary or expedient for the purpose of preventing and combating abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and the illicit traffic therein.

(2) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of sub-section (1), the measures which the Central Government may take under that sub-section include measures with respect to all or any of the following matter, namely:-

(a) coordination of actions by various officers, State Governments and other authorities-

(i) under this Act, or

(ii) under any other law for the time being in force in connection with the enforcement of the provisions of this Act;

(b) obligations under the International Conventions;

(c) assistance to the concerned authorities in foreign countries and concerned international organisations with a view to facilitating coordination and universal action for prevention and suppression of illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances;

(d) identification, treatment, education, after care, rehabilitation and social re-integration of addicts;

(e) such other matters as the Central Government deems necessary or expedient for the purpose of securing the effective implementation of the provisions of this Act and preventing and combating the abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and illicit traffic therein.

(3) The Central Government may, if it considers it necessary or expedient so to do for the purposes of this Act, by order, published in the Official Gazette, constitute an authority or a hierarchy of authorities by such name or names as may be specified in the order for the purpose of exercising such of the powers and functions of the Central Government under this Act and for taking measures with respect to such of the matters referred to in sub-section (2) as may be mentioned in the order, and subject to the supervision and control of the Central Government and the provisions of such order, such authority or authorities may exercise the powers and take the measures so mentioned in the order as if such authority or authorities had been empowered by this Act to exercise those powers and take such measures.

5. Officers of Central Government.

(1) Without prejudice to the provisions of sub-section (3) of section 4, the Central Government shall appoint a Narcotics Commissioner and may also appoint such other officers with such designations as it thinks fit for the purposes of this Act.

(2) The Narcotics Commissioner shall, either by himself or through officers subordinate to him, exercise all powers and perform all functions relating to the superintendence of the cultivation of the opium poppy and production of opium and shall also exercise and perform such other powers and functions as may be entrusted to him by the Central Government.

(3) The officers appointed under sub-section (1) shall be subject to the general control and direction of the Central Government, or, if so directed by that Government, also of the Board or any other authority or officer.

6. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Consultative Committee.

(1) The Central Government may constitute, by notification in the Official Gazette, an advisory committee to be called "The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Consultative Committee" (hereafter in this section referred to as the Committee) to advise the Central Government on such matters relating to the administration of this Act as are referred to it by that Government from time to time.

(2) The Committee shall consist of a Chairman and such other members, not exceeding twenty, as may be appointed by the Central Government.

(3) The Committee shall meet when required to do so by the Central Government and shall have power to regulate its own procedure.

(4) The Committee may, if it deems it necessary so to do for the efficient discharge of any of its functions, constitute one or more sub-committees and may appoint to any such sub-committee, whether generally or for the consideration of any particular matter, any person (including a non-official) who is not a member of the Committee.

(5) The term of office of, the manner of filling casual vacancies in the offices of and the allowances, if any, payable to, the Chairman and other members of the Committee, and the conditions and restrictions subject to which the Committee may appoint a person who is not a member of the Committee as a member of any of its sub-committees, shall be such as may be prescribed by rules made by the Central Government.

7. Officers of State Government.

(1) The State Government may appoint such officers with such designations as it thinks fit for the purposes of this Act.

(2) The officers appointed under sub-section (1) shall be subject to the general control and direction of the State Government, or, if so directed by that Government, also of any other authority or officer.

^{5[CHAPTER IIA : NATIONAL FUND FOR CONTROL OF DRUG ABUSE}

^{7A. National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse}

^{(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, constitute a Fund to be called the National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse (hereafter in this Chapter referred to as the Fund ) and there shall be credited thereto -}

^{(a) an amount which the Central Government may, after due appropriation made by Parliament by law in this behalf, provide;}

^{(b) the sale proceeds of any property forfeited under Chapter VA;}

^{(c) any grants that may be made by any person or institution;}

^{(d) any income from investment of the amounts credited to the Fund under the aforesaid provisions.}

^{(2) The Fund shall be applied by the Central Government to meet the expenditure incurred in connection with the measures taken for combating illicit traffic in, or controlling abuse of, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for all or any of the purposes specified in sub-section (1) of section 71.}

^{(3) The Central Government may constitute a Governing Body as it thinks fit to advise that Government in regard to the application of the Fund.}

^{(4) The Governing Body shall consist of a Chairman (not below the rank of an Additional Secretary to the Central Government) and such other members not exceeding six as the Central Government may appoint.}

^{(5) The Governing Body shall have the power to regulate its own procedure.}

^{7B. Annual report of activities financed under the Fund.}

^{The Central Government shall, as soon as may be, after the end of each financial year, cause to be published in the Official Gazette, a report giving an account of the activities financed under section 7A during the financial year, together with a statement of accounts.]}

CHAPTER III : PROHIBITION, CONTROL AND REGULATION

8. Prohibition of certain operations

No person shall-

(a) cultivate any coca plant or gather any portion of coca plant;

(b) cultivate the opium poppy or any cannabis plant; or

(c) produce, manufacture, possess, sell, purchase, transport, ware-house, use, consume, import inter-State export inter-State import into India, export from India or transship any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance,

except for medical or scientific purposes and in the manner and to the extent provided by the provisions of this Act or the rules or orders made thereunder and in a case where any such provision, imposes any requirement by way of licence, permit or authorisation also in accordance with the terms and conditions of such licence, permit or authorisation:

Provided that, and subject to the other provisions of this Act and the rules made thereunder, the prohibition against the cultivation of the cannabis plant for the production of ganja or the production, possession, use, consumption, purchase, sale, transport, warehousing, import inter-State and export inter-State of ganja for any purpose other than medical and scientific purpose shall take effect only from the date which the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify in this behalf.

^{6[Provided further that nothing in this section shall apply to the export of poppy straw for decorative purposes.]}

9. Power of Central Government to permit, control and regulate.

(1) Subject to the provisions of section 8, the Central Government may, by rules-

(a) permit and regulate-

(i) the cultivation, or gathering of any portion (such cultivation or gathering being only on account of the Central Government) of coca plant, or the production, possession, sale, purchase, transport, import inter-State, export inter-State, use or consumption of coca leaves;

(ii) the cultivation (such cultivation being only on account of Central Government) of the opium poppy;

(iii) the production and manufacture of opium and production of poppy straw;

(iv) the sale of opium and opium derivatives from the Central Government factories for export from India or sale to State Government or to manufacturing chemists;

(v) the manufacture of manufactured drugs (other than prepared opium) but not including manufacture of medicinal opium or any preparation containing any manufactured drug from materials which the maker is lawfully entitled to possess;

(vi) the manufacture, possession, transport, import inter-State, export inter-State, sale, purchase, consumption or use of psychotropic substances;

(vii) the import into India and export from India and transhipment of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances;

(b) prescribe any other matter requisite to render effective the control of the Central Government over any of the matters specified in clause (a).

(2) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may-

(a) empower the Central Government to fix from time to time the limits within which licences may be given for the cultivation of the opium poppy;

(b) require that all opium, the produce of land cultivated with the opium poppy, shall be delivered by the cultivators to the officers. authorised in. this behalf by the Central Government;

(c) prescribe the forms and conditions of licences for cultivation of the opium poppy and for production and manufacture of opium; the fees that may be charged therefor; the authorities by which such licences may be granted, withheld, refused or cancelled and the authorities before which appeals against the order of withholding, refusal or cancellation of licences shall lie;

(d) prescribe that opium shall be weighed, examined and classified according to its quality and consistence by the officers authorised in this behalf by the Central Government in the presence of the cultivator at the time of delivery by the cultivator;

(e) empower the Central Government to fix from time to time the price to be paid to the cultivators for the opium delivered;

(f) provide for the weighment, examination and classification, according to the quality and consistence, of the opium received at the factory and the deductions from or additions (if any) to the standard price to be made in accordance with the result of such examination; and the authorities by which the decisions with regard to the weighment, examination, classification, deductions or additions shall be made and the authorities before which appeals against such decisions shall lie;

(g) require that opium delivered by a cultivator, if found as a result of examination in the Central Government factory to be adulterated, may be confiscated by the officers authorised in this behalf;

(h) prescribe the forms and conditions of licences for the manufacture of manufactured drugs , the authorities by which such licences may be granted and the fees that may be charged therefor;

(i) prescribe the forms and conditions of licences or permits for the manufacture, possession, transport, import inter-State, export inter-State, sale, purchase, consumption or use of psychotropic substances, the authorities by which such licences or permits may be granted and the fees that may be charged therefor;

(j) prescribe the ports and other places at which any kind of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances may be imported into India or exported from India or transhipped; the forms and conditions of certificates, authorisations or permits, as the case may be, for such import, export or transhipment; the authorities by which such certificate, authorisations or permits may be granted and the fees that may be charged therefor.

⁷[9A. Power to control and regulate controlled substances.

(1) If the Central Government is of the opinion that, having regard to the use of any controlled substance in the production or manufacture of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance, it is necessary or expedient so to do in the public interest, it may, by order, provide for regulating or prohibiting the production, manufacture, supply and distribution thereof and trade and commerce therein.

(2)Without prejudice to the generality of the power conferred by sub-section (1), an order made thereunder may provide for regulating by licences, permits or otherwise, the production, manufacture, possession, transport, import inter-State, export inter-State, sale, purchase, consumption, use, storage, distribution, disposal or acquisition of any controlled substance.]

10. Power of State Government to permit, control and regulate.

(1) Subject to the provisions of section 8, the State Government may, by rules-

(a) permit and regulate-

(i) the possession, transport, import inter-State, export inter-State, warehousing, sale, purchase, consumption and use of poppy straw.

(ii) the possession, transport, import inter-State, export inter-State, sale, purchase, consumption and use of opium;

(iii) the cultivation of any cannabis plant, production, manufacture, possession, transport, import inter-State, export inter-State, sale, purchase, consumption or use of cannabis (excluding charas);

(iv) the manufacture of medicinal opium or any preparation containing any manufactured drug from materials which the maker is lawfully entitled to possess;

(v) the possession, transport, purchase, sale, import inter-State, export inter-State, use or consumption of manufactured drugs other than prepared opium and of coca leaf and any preparation containing any manufactured drug;

(vi) the manufacture and possession of prepared opium from opium lawfully possessed by an addict registered with the State Government on medical advice for his personal consumption:

Provided that save in so far as may be expressly provided in the rules made under sub-clauses (iv) and (v), nothing in section 8 shall apply to the import inter-State, export inter-State, transport, possession, purchase, sale, use or consumption of manufactured drugs which are the property and in the possession of the Government:

Provided further that such drugs as are referred to in the preceding proviso shall not be sold or otherwise delivered to any person who, under the rules made by the State Government under the aforesaid sub-clauses, is not entitled to their possession;

(b) prescribe any other matter requisite to render effective the control of the State Government over any of the matters specified in clause (a).

(2) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may-

(a) empower the State Government to declare any place to be a warehouse wherein it shall be the duty of the owners to deposit all such poppy straw as is legally imported inter-State and is intended for export inter-State or export from India; to regulate the safe custody of such poppy straw warehoused and the removal of' such poppy straw for sale or export inter-State or export from India; to levy fees for such warehousing and to prescribe the manner in which and the period after which the poppy straw warehoused shall be disposed of in default of payment of fees;

(b) provide that the limits within which licences may be given for the cultivation of any cannabis plant shall be fixed from time to time by or under the orders of the State Government;

(c) provide that only the cultivators licenced by the prescribed authority of the State Government shall be authorised to engage in cultivation of any cannabis plant;

(d) require that all cannabis, the produce of land cultivated with. cannabis plant,: shall be delivered by the cultivators to the officers of the State Government authorised in this behalf;

(e) empower the State Government to fix from time to time, the price to be paid to the cultivators for the cannabis delivered;

(f) prescribe the forms and conditions of licences or permits for the purposes specified in sub-clauses (i) to (vi) of clause (a) of sub-section (1) and the authorities by which such licences or permits may be granted and the fees that may be ch

7[9A. Power to control and regulate controlled substances.

⁷[9A. Power to control and regulate controlled substances.