Mizoram House unanimously pass Drug Bill 2016

Mizoram Assembly today unanimously passed the Mizoram Drug (Controlled Substances) Bill, 2016 as introduced in the legislature by the state Social Welfare Minister P.C. Lalthanliana, which would authorise law enforcement agencies to seize and prosecute people possessing and selling drugs, including those legally manufactured in the country, if abused by some people.
The legislation was meant to take up controlling of abuse, possession and sale of several drugs under the purview of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, Assam Drugs Control Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
Lalthanliana while introducing the bill, said that conviction rate in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 was extremely low in Mizoram due to complex procedures and stringent provisions laid down in the act.

The new local law would ensure simplification of procedures in order to raise the rate of conviction, he said, adding that manufacture, sale, use, abuse and treatment were included in the lists of pharmaceutical drugs commonly abused in the state to be listed out from the Schedule H1 and Schedule X of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, conditions of licencing, sale and prosecution.
"In order to ensure quality in treatment of addicts, accreditation of the Treatment cum Rehabilitation Centres will be undertaken after which they will be certified and authorised by the government agency to act and provide drug treatment related services in the state of Mizoram," he said.

The state government allocated Rs 95 lakh for implementation of the legislation under different heads of account of the social welfare department.