Aizawl, Mar 12: A total of 46 people, including three women, have died due to drug abuse in Mizoram during the 2024-25 financial year till February 13, State Excise and Narcotics Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar informed the assembly on Tuesday.

Hmar stated that since 1984, when the first drug-related death was recorded in the state due to heroin use, 1,884 people, including 230 women, have lost their lives to substance abuse. Women account for 12.21 percent of the total fatalities.

Between April 2024 and January 31, 2025, law enforcement agencies seized 34.15 kg of heroin, 34.18 kg of methamphetamine, 329.7 kg of ganja, 1.31 kg of nitrazepam, and 152.5 kg of cough syrup under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. During this period, 458 people were booked for drug trafficking under various sections of the Act.

The minister said the state government, in collaboration with civil society organizations, is making efforts to combat drug abuse. Officials noted that Spasmo-Proxyvon and Parvon Spas were the primary causes of drug-related deaths in Mizoram until 2015. Since then, heroin has become the leading cause due to increased supply from Myanmar and neighboring states.

Mizoram shares a 510-km border with Myanmar and a 318-km border with Bangladesh. It also shares inter-state boundaries with Assam, Manipur, and Tripura.

According to officials, the highest number of drug-related deaths in Mizoram was reported in 2004, with 143 fatalities, including 21 women, followed by 139 deaths in 2000. No drug-related deaths were reported in 1986. Between 2015 and 2024, a total of 564 people, including 92 women, died due to heroin and other drug abuse.