Act against drug menace to get tough

SHIMLA, SEP 2016: 
To give more teeth to the Act to fight drug menace in Himachal Pradesh, the state government tabled the Drugs and Cosmetics (Himachal Pradesh Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the assembly. To make the Act more stringent, it has been decided to insert new provisions to place the burden of proof on the person from whose possession drug is seized. At present, the burden of proof lies on the prosecution and culprit takes advantage in the court if local witnesses turn hostile.

Health minister Kaul Singh Thakur, who tabled the bill in the assembly, said that drug menace is a social evil and has led to increase in crime. It has been observed, he said, that in case of sale of intoxicants many persons not holding license as required under Section 18 (C) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, have been booked for its contravention. Since Section 18 (C) is non-cognizable and bailable, officers of drug control administration face difficulty in arresting the culprits and hold them for further investigation, he added.

If made a cognizable and non-bailable offence, police officers will be empowered to arrest the offender without warrant with the assistance of drug inspector, he added. The Times of India