India, Aug. 4 -- A little-known provision that grants immunity from prosecution to drug addicts who voluntarily seek treatment and rehabilitation - section 64A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 - recently saved a drug user, 23, when a Pune court directed him to undergo treatment at a de-addiction centre instead of facing prosecution.

The order - believed by the Pune police to be the first known case in the state wherein an accused has been granted relief under section 64A after filing a chargesheet - signals a shift towards treating addiction as a public health concern while continuing with strict enforcement against drug traffickers and peddlers. It underscores a balanced approach to ...