REFORMING POLICING STRATEGIES UNDER THE CNSA FOR EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE
Date.28 Jan, 2025
The Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 1997 (CNSA), has long served as the principal legal framework for addressing drug-related offenses in the country. The Act was amended through the Control of Narcotic Substances (Amendment) Act, 2022, which introduced stringent penalties, including life imprisonment and the death penalty, for offenses involving the trafficking of specified narcotic and psychotropic substances, such as heroin, morphine, cocaine, and methamphetamine (ICE), based on prescribed quantities. However, the subsequent enactment of the Control of Narcotic Substances (Amendment) Act, 2023, repealed the provision of the death penalty, reflecting a policy shift towards a more proportionate sentencing framework. Despite these amendments, the legislative focus remains predominantly punitive, with insufficient emphasis on prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies.
The principal recommendations of this study include: increased accountability of narcotics control authorities to mitigate corruption and promote openness; prioritizing rehabilitation rather than incarceration; emphasis on treatment-oriented initiatives; and implementation of community-oriented policing strategies to improve local engagement in counter-narcotics initiatives. It is also proposed that the authorities must optimize data acquisition and policy evaluation for effective decision-making; promote inter-agency cooperation to comprehensively tackle trafficking networks; utilize financial tracking systems to enhance anti-money laundering measures; and optimize the protocols of the Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) to dismantle drug-related financial networks.
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