31 January 2005	Monday	20 Zilhaj 1425

PESHAWAR, Jan 30: The federal and provincial governments have been violating the law regarding treatment and registration of drug addicts, legal experts claim.

Provisions in the Control of Narcotics Substance Act, 1997, bind the federal and provincial governments to register and treat drug addicts but the governments are yet to issue them registration cards.

Lawyers believe that the governments have been following the provisions relating to drug trafficking but have overlooked those dealing with addicts. "I have never been approached by any government agency for treatment," said Abdul Rasheed, a heroin addict.

Mr Rasheed, who roams near the Khyber Hospital with about two dozen other addicts, said that sometimes police round them up and leave them outside their jurisdiction. He said the police never took the addicts to any hospital or clinic.

According to Section 52(1) of the Control of Narcotics Substance Act, each provincial government should register all addicts within its jurisdiction for treatment and rehabilitation.

Under Section 52(2) of the act, the federal government should bear the expenses of de-addiction of an addict for the first time. The addict should also carry a registration card.

The law envisages that the provincial governments should establish centres for de-toxification, education, care, rehabilitation and social integration of addicts and supply of medicines to them.

Local lawyers say hundreds of addicts roam freely and use narcotics on roadsides in the provincial capital as the government has not fulfilled its legal responsibilities. "The facilities in hospitals are not enough to treat the growing number of addicts," a psychiatrist said.

Under Section 54 of the CNSA, the centre has to constitute a National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse from grants from the federal and provincial governments and sale of assets forfeited under the act or any other law to meet the expenditure on the eradication of trafficking and rehabilitation of addicts.