Shimla, March 25 -- The growing menace of drug abuse in Himachal Pradesh has claimed 65 lives due to overdose in the past three years, exposing a deepening public health and law-and-order crisis in the hill state, the government said in the Assembly on Tuesday.
Official data presented by the state government showed a disturbing upward trend in overdose deaths. While only eight fatalities were recorded in 2023, the number surged sharply to 31 in 2024, before slightly declining to 27 in 2025. The figures indicate a rapid spread of synthetic drugs and addiction, particularly among the youth, raising serious concerns within government and law enforcement agencies.
The data was shared in a written reply to questions raised by BJP MLAs Jeetram ...