The Narcotic Drugs Control Section of the Ministry of Home Affairs has published the 23rd edition of “Surakshit Jeevan – A Journal of Drug Control,” Vol. 18, June 2026, containing 19 articles examining Nepal’s drug problem from legal, social, health, security and policy perspectives. Published around the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the journal follows the international theme “The World Drug Problem: Persisting Issues, New Challenges, Innovative Responses” and Nepal’s message calling for drug-related challenges to be addressed as a broader social problem. The publication stresses that drug abuse cannot be tackled through policing alone because it is closely linked to mental health, family conditions, unemployment, education, social stigma and access to opportunities.
Across the journal, authors identify young people as the group most vulnerable to growing drug use and highlight cannabis, opioids, pharmaceutical drugs and increasingly synthetic and new psychoactive substances as major concerns. Several articles, drawing on earlier government surveys and other reports, cite estimates of roughly 130,000–156,000 drug users, with people in their twenties representing a large share. The journal also highlights Nepal’s vulnerability as both a consumer and transit country because of its open border with India and international trafficking routes. One analysis reports that operations against cannabis brought into Nepal from Thailand resulted in 67 foreign nationals being arrested and 187.52 kg of cannabis seized between July 2025 and April 2026. Authors also warn that traffickers are increasingly using encrypted communications, social media, the dark web and cryptocurrencies, making conventional investigation more difficult.
The publication repeatedly calls for a multidimensional drug-control strategy combining supply control with prevention, harm reduction, mental-health support, treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration. Recommendations include updating the Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act, 2033 to address synthetic drugs and digital trafficking, expanding forensic and digital-investigation capabilities, improving border surveillance, strengthening international cooperation and creating more reliable and frequently updated drug-use data. The articles also urge stronger roles for schools, families, local governments and youth organisations, alongside affordable rehabilitation, vocational training and employment support to reduce relapse and social exclusion. Several contributors argue for treating people with substance-use disorders primarily through a health- and rehabilitation-oriented approach while directing tougher enforcement toward organised traffickers and criminal networks.
The journal also documents activities of the Home Ministry’s Narcotic Drugs Control Section during FY 2082/83, including preparation of policy, programme and progress reports, development of performance indicators, Business Process Re-engineering to simplify administrative procedures, and participation in regional cooperation, including a BIMSTEC narcotics-related meeting in Colombo. Overall, the publication concludes that Nepal’s drug problem has become a combined public-health, social, economic and national-security challenge, requiring sustained coordination among government agencies, security bodies, health institutions, provincial and local governments, communities and families.
