Punjab records 2nd-highest drug overdose deaths, says NCRB report

CHANDIGARH: After topping the country in drug overdose deaths in 2022 and 2023, Punjab recorded the secondhighest fatalities in 2024, with 106 deaths, according to the latest NCRB report on Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI).A total of 978 such deaths were reported nationwide, with Tamil Nadu topping the list at 313, followed by Punjab (106) and Madhya Pradesh (90).While Punjab shed the dubious distinction of being the highest, the number of deaths rose from 89 in 2023 to 106 in 2024, though it remains lower than 144 in 2022. Nationally, overdose deaths stood at 681 in 2022 and 654 in 2023.Among neighbouring regions, Himachal Pradesh reported 31 deaths (up from 21), Haryana three (from zero), and Chandigarh seven (down from eight). Jammu and Kashmir recorded four deaths, one less than the previous year.Together, Punjab, Himachal, Haryana, Chandigarh and J&K accounted for 15.3% of total overdose deaths.29 drug cases per lakh populationThe NCRB Crime 2024 report also showed Punjab with the second-highest NDPS Act crime rate at 29 cases per lakh population and the fourth-highest number of cases (8,973). Kerala topped both the rate (75.5) and total cases (27,149), followed by Maharashtra (15,641) and Tamil Nadu (11,037). The national average stood at 7.8 cases per lakh, with 1,09,890 cases registered. Of Punjab’s NDPS cases, 6,060 were related to possession for trafficking, the highest in the country, followed by Uttar Pradesh (3,219) and Rajasthan (2,758).