Aizawl, Jul 21 (PTI) The Mizoram government has decided to draft state-specific legislation or amendments to existing laws to strengthen the state’s legal framework for drug control amid rising drug trafficking and abuse, officials said on Tuesday.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of the Mizoram State Core Committee on Fight Against Drugs, chaired by Chief Minister Lalduhoma in Aizawl.
Home Minister K Sapdanga, Excise and Narcotics Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar, and other members of the Core Committee attended the meeting.
A proposed panel will examine existing legal provisions and recommend a stronger, more effective framework tailored to Mizoram’s specific challenges in combating drug trafficking, substance abuse, and related crimes, officials said.
In addition to the legislative initiative, the meeting agreed to simplify the reimbursement process for court witness expenses by exempting such payments from the Integrated Financial Management and Information System (IFMIS) route.
It also deliberated on establishing active anti-drug committees in every locality and village across Mizoram.
The meeting also reviewed progress reports from the Excise and Narcotics department, Police department, Social Welfare department, and the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA), a major civil society organisation.
The police department reported that it registered 319 drug-related cases in 2025 and arrested 483 persons, while 219 cases have already been registered and 312 persons arrested in the first six months of the current year.
The department attributed the rise in cases and arrests to changing trafficking patterns, with smugglers increasingly transporting smaller consignments more frequently, according to officials.
Enhanced enforcement capabilities and improved equipment have also enabled police to detect and apprehend more offenders.
Lalduhoma praised the efforts of the various departments and voluntary organisations engaged in the state’s anti-drug campaign.
He said that although the drug menace cannot be eradicated overnight, sustained efforts by the state have begun to show encouraging and visible results.
Officials of the excise and narcotics department informed the meeting that Operation Jericho, an anti-drug campaign jointly launched by the Excise and Police in collaboration with civil society groups, has significantly reduced the availability of illicit drugs, leading to a sharp increase in street prices.
A similar decline in availability was reported for cough syrup and other commonly abused pharmaceutical drugs, they said.
During the meeting, officials of the social welfare department reported that nearly 30 per cent of beneficiaries (inmates) admitted to the Hulhhliap Short Stay Centre, a detoxification centre for drug users opened in June 2025 at Neihbawi area near Aizawl, had successfully overcome drug addiction.
A total of 198 beneficiaries have received training in 13 skill development courses, while 21 beneficiaries have been assisted under the Bana Kaih Chief Minister’s Special Package, they said.
Representatives of CYMA also presented a report on its anti-drug initiatives carried out through its Anti-Drugs Squad and Operation Jericho.
The meeting also expressed concern over the growing prevalence of cannabis use and the continued rise in cough syrup abuse, despite the decline in heroin availability. PTI CORR NN
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