Government Shifts Policy on Drug Addicts to Treatment Over Punishment

Kathmandu. The Ministry of Home Affairs has changed its action plan against drug control and trafficking, advancing a policy to treat addicts as patients rather than criminals. Joint Secretary Suman Ghimire, the chief drug control officer, provided information about the government's upcoming strategy and current situation while speaking at a program organized on the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

According to Joint Secretary Ghimire, drug use has transformed from traditional natural sources, namely marijuana and opium, to the abuse of synthetic and pharmaceutical drugs. In the fiscal year 2081/82 alone, 7,943 people were arrested, confirming the growing network of drugs.