Srinagar, Apr 5: Jammu and Kashmir is grappling with a deepening drug abuse epidemic, with official estimates indicating that over 13.5 lakh (1.35 million) people in the Union Territory are affected by substance dependence.
This figure, which has nearly doubled in recent years from around 6 lakh in 2022, represents a major public health and social emergency, particularly impacting youth and even minors.
Heroin has emerged as the dominant drug, accounting for roughly 90-95% of dependency cases among reported users in the Kashmir Valley. Many addicts, including a significant portion (around 52% in some surveys), resort to injecting the drug, raising serious risks of blood-borne diseases like Hepatitis C and HIV due to syringe sharing. While overall opioid use affects hundreds of thousands, other substances such as cannabis, sedatives, alcohol, and emerging synthetics are also in circulation.
National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for 2022 shows a steady increase in NDPS Act cases for personal consumption in J&K: 394 cases in 2022, up from 357 in 2021 and 289 in 2020.
Overall, the UT recorded over 1,124 NDPS cases and 1,104 drug seizures that year. More recent enforcement data points to continued pressure, with over 32,500 substance abuse cases registered since 2022 and intensified operations in 2025 yielding hundreds of NDPS cases and significant arrests.
Srinagar and Jammu districts remain major hotspots, alongside high incidence in North Kashmir areas. In the Kashmir Valley, districts like Anantnag, Pulwama, and Baramulla have seen concentrated heroin trafficking and seizures. A worrying dimension is the narco-terrorism nexus, where drug smuggling—often via drones from across the border—helps fund terror activities. Security forces have foiled numerous drone-based attempts, recovering narcotics alongside arms in several operations.
Contributing factors include easy accessibility of drugs, high unemployment (especially among youth), the lingering effects of regional conflict, and socio-economic stress. The problem has expanded rapidly, with reports noting a surge in cases handled by facilities like the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) in Srinagar in pre-pandemic years.
Authorities have scaled up interventions under the NashaMukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA), now implemented across all districts of J&K. The campaign has reached over 91.5 lakh people through awareness drives, including more than 6 lakh youth. A dedicated NashaMukt Jammu & Kashmir Abhiyaan was launched in April 2025 to strengthen data-driven prevention, rehabilitation, and community engagement.
Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs) operate in all 20 districts, offering outpatient (OPD) and inpatient services. Since 2020, over 83,000 individuals have been treated and discharged. In the past three years alone, more than 25,000 people have sought help through OPD and IPD services. A toll-free helpline (14446) provides counselling and immediate assistance.
Community participation has grown, with local religious leaders and Masjid imams in Srinagar actively spreading awareness during Friday sermons. Mapping of over 220 drug hotspots has aided targeted enforcement, while efforts focus on both supply disruption (targeting traffickers and narco-networks) and demand reduction.
The crisis disproportionately affects the 18-75 age group, but alarming reports highlight involvement of over 1.68 lakh minors (aged 10-17), with tens of thousands dependent on opioids. Families across the region are devastated, and health experts warn that early initiation significantly raises long-term addiction risks.
Officials and civil society emphasise that sustained multi-pronged action—combining strict law enforcement against trafficking, expanded rehabilitation, skill development to tackle unemployment, and widespread awareness—is essential. While progress in treatment access and community mobilisation is visible, the scale of the problem demands continued vigilance and resources to prevent further societal damage.
The fight against drug abuse in J&K is now seen as one of the biggest challenges alongside security concerns, requiring coordinated efforts from government, security agencies, health services, religious bodies, and families to build a “NashaMukt” future.
