Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 - Introduction

Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985
Act No. 61 of 1985

[16th September, 1985.]

 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 substances 1*[ 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-sixty 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 2* 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 (54 of 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 known 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 known or designated; and

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 2.  This Act  came in  to force  in the whole of India on 14-11-1985: Vide Notification No. S.O.  821 (E)  dated,  14-11-1985,  Gazette  of India, Extraordinary, 1985, Part II, Section-3 (ii).

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

            (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;

                        (c)  cocaine,  that is, methyl ester of benzoyl-ecgonine and its salts; and

                        (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, out 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 Frythroxylon;

           1*(i)   "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 substance,

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

            1*(a) "illicit traffic", in relation to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, means –

• cultivating any coca plant or gathering any portion of caca plant;
• cultivating the opium poppy or any cannabis plant;
• 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 transhipment, of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances;
• dealing in any activities in narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances other than those referred to in sub-clauses (i) to (ii); or
• 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, there under, 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

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                        (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 derivatives 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 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, popy 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;

                        (c)   phenanthrene alkaloids, namely, morphine, codeine, thebaine and their salts;

                        (d)   diacetylmorphine, that is, the alkaloid also known as diamorphine 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 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;

            (xxviia)  "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 (2 of 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  substance, if liquid, is contained in every one hundred mililitre of the preparation and so on in proportion for any greater or less percentage :

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1.   Ins. by Act 2 of 1989, s. 3 (w.e.f. 29-5-1989).

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  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.