Opium and Opium Poppy

Trigger Warning: The following content contains information on drugs and narcotics which some readers may find disturbing. 

Opium is the solidified juice of the opium poppy, which is the base plant from which opium is extracted. It is a white juice that is extracted from the poppy plant with the help of scalps in a very careful manner. It does not include any preparation containing less than 0.2% of morphine.

It is illegal to cultivate, produce, manufacture, possess, transport, inter-state import or export, sell, purchase or use opium and opium poppy. The punishment for carrying out any of these activities is proportional to the quantity of opium or opium poppy involved and not the type of activity.

• Small quantity (25 gm) – jail time  up to 1 year and/or fine up to Rs 10,000
• 25 gm to 2.5 kg – jail time  up to 10 years and fine up to Rs 1 lakh 
• Commercial quantity (2.5 kg) – jail time  between 10 and 20 years, and fine between Rs 1 lakh and 2 lakhs. The Court may also impose a fine of more than Rupees 2 lakh¹

Prepared Opium

Prepared opium is any product of opium obtained by any series of operations designed to transform opium into an extract suitable for smoking, wherein the residue remaining after opium is smoked. 

It is illegal to manufacture, possess, transport, inter-state import/export, sell, purchase or use Prepared Opium. The punishment for carrying out any of these activities is proportional to the quantity of Prepared Opium involved and not the type of activity.

• Small quantity (5 gm) – jail time  up to 1 year and/or fine up to Rs 10,000
• 5 gm to 250 gm – jail time  up to 10 years and fine up to Rs 1 lakh 
• Commercial quantity (250 gm) – jail time  between 10 and 20 years, and fine between Rs 1 lakh and 2 lakhs. The Court may also impose a fine of more than Rupees 2 lakh²

1. Section 18, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. [↩]
2. Section 17, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. [↩]