Punjab reports the highest drug abuse among all states since 2015.

Uttar Pradesh tops the list of drug abuse cases in India, while states like Punjab, Chhattisgarh, and Delhi saw above national average cannabis use.

Uttar Pradesh tops the list of drug abuse cases in India, while states like Punjab, Chhattisgarh, and Delhi saw above national average cannabis use.Punjab is one of the Indian states with the most drug abuse cases, according to the report Magnitude of Substance Use in India, but it is not the top state with the most cases. Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat were recognized as some of the states with the highest incidence of opioids, sedatives, and inhalants, cannabis, and alcohol.

Punjab does not have the highest number of cases under the Liquor and Narcotic Drugs – Related Acts. But it is among the top states with a record of such instances. A Times of India article states that 6909 incidents were reported in Punjab, according to the NCBI's ''Crime in India 2020,'' with 4039 cases for drug trafficking and 2870 cases for personal consumption. However, this is still not the highest among states in India.

While Uttar Pradesh has a higher number of drug-related cases than Punjab in actual numbers, with 10852 incidents registered under the NDPS Act in 2020, but its crime rate was 4.7 percent, and Punjab's crime rate was 22.9 percent. Some states contribute to an above national average substance use. Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Sikkim, Delhi, and Chhattisgarh are the states that report above national average instances of drug abuse, drug-related violence, and trafficking.

The Indian government's Ministry of Social Justice and empowerment, in its report, has given a detailed account of drug abuses of various kinds like injecting, inhaling, cannabis, and many more. With all the data put together, Punjab is among the top states with drug abuse, but it is not the state to report the highest instances of drug abuse.