A New Fact Sheet Sets Out What We Know, and Don’t, About Drug Addiction in Punjab

A data-led summary for researchers, journalists and families, with every figure tied to a named source and year

Chandigarh, 29 October 2026. Numbers on drug addiction in Punjab circulate widely, often with no source and no date. 🔗 Paryas Foundation has published a fact sheet that gathers the main public figures in one place, shows where each comes from, and says plainly where the evidence stops. The full version is on the page for 🔗 drug addiction in Punjab: facts and data.

Key figures at a glance

Statewide survey estimates

• Punjab Opioid Dependence Survey (2015), by the Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses and AIIMS’s National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre: about 2.32 lakh opioid-dependent people and about 8.6 lakh people who had used drugs. Of those dependent, 76% were aged 18 to 35, and heroin was the most widely used opioid (53%).
• PGIMER Chandigarh study (2015 to 2016), funded by the Department of Health Research and supervised by ICMR: between 1.7 lakh and 2.7 lakh opioid-dependent people, and about one in six dependent on some substance.
• National survey (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and AIIMS, 2019): after Uttar Pradesh, Punjab had the highest number of opioid-dependent people. According to AIIMS’s Dr Atul Ambekar, as reported by The Wire, alcohol use in Punjab was 28.5% against a national average of 14.6%.

Global context

• UNODC, World Drug Report 2025: 316 million people used drugs worldwide in 2023, about 6% of people aged 15 to 64. Only about 1 in 12 people with drug use disorders received treatment.

Enforcement figures

• Punjab Police, as reported by PTI (14 September 2026): since the “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign began on 1 March 2025, 60,582 FIRs under the NDPS Act, 79,784 arrests including 708 major traffickers, and more than 3,800 kg of heroin recovered. Officials also said 10,656 people (as of July 2026) were referred to treatment under Section 64A of the NDPS Act.

What the data cannot show

The fact sheet is deliberate about limits.

• There is no recent statewide prevalence survey. The most-cited estimates date from 2015 to 2016 and 2019, so today’s numbers could be higher or lower.
• Enforcement is not prevalence. Arrests and seizures measure policing. They do not show how many people use drugs, and they differ between reports because they are published on different dates.
• Definitions differ. “Used”, “dependent” and “addicted” mean different things, so figures from different studies should not be added together.
• Surveys miss people. Those who are homeless, in jail or unwilling to speak are likely undercounted. The 2015 survey itself said so.

Readers who want the wider picture of 🔗 drug addiction in Punjab can find the sources and how to cite them on the same page.

Beyond one substance

Public debate on nasha in punjab often narrows to a single drug. The studies show a wider picture. Alcohol was the most commonly used substance in the PGIMER study. Heroin, opium, poppy husk and pharmaceutical opioids appear throughout the older surveys, and the 2015 survey found about a third of those dependent took opioids by injection. For a plain-language explainer of the terms families use, see the 🔗 nasha in Punjab guide.

Treatment capacity

Reported figures vary. The Tribune has reported that Punjab runs 36 government drug de-addiction and 19 rehabilitation centres, with 177 and 72 in the private sector, and outpatient opioid treatment at 565 centres. ThePrint reported 547 government OOAT clinics and 177 licensed private centres in October 2026. Government district de-addiction centres have been described as having 10 beds each, and the state’s Health Minister has announced 5,000 additional beds. Staff shortages remain a challenge in the public system, according to The Tribune.

Families comparing a 🔗 nasha mukti kendra in Punjab are advised to check registration, ask who the doctors are, and get the total cost in writing. No honest provider can promise a cure.

A note from the organisation

“Good decisions start with good numbers,” said [Name], [Title], Paryas Foundation. “We want families and journalists to see what the evidence supports and what it doesn’t, so that fear doesn’t fill the gap.” (Placeholder: replace with a real, approved quote.)

Where to get help

• For advice and referral: the national 🔗 de-addiction helpline, 14446, run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
• In an emergency, such as a seizure, unconsciousness or a suspected overdose: 112, or the nearest hospital
• For a medical assessment: the Civil Surgeon’s office or a district hospital can name working government services

A full list is on the 🔗 nasha mukti helpline numbers page, and a shorter family guide is on the 🔗 nasha mukti helpline numbers page.

About Paryas Foundation

🔗 Paryas Foundation works in the field of addiction recovery support. (Add verified details here: year founded, location, services offered, registration or licence information, and the team’s qualifications.)