Patna: Bihar’s multi-pronged ban on intoxicants—beginning with gutkha in 2012 and expanding to complete alcohol prohibition in 2016—has not stemmed the growth of substance use and related spending, with new survey data indicating that the average resident now spends about Rs5 per day on intoxicants despite the state ranking among India’s poorest. Officials have repeatedly reissued and tightened restrictions, including renewed orders in 2019 and 2024 to enforce a total ban on gutkha and tobacco, but trade and availability continue widely on the ground, from neighborhood kiosks to busy intersections.
The crackdown on liquor followed a phased approach in 2016—first outlawing country (desi) liquor and then foreign liquor—alongside stringent enforcement provisions and multiple legislative amendments under judicial scrutiny. Yet the supply never fully dried up: reports point to a thriving black market, periodic tragedies from spurious alcohol, and persistent consumption despite the legal threat. According to National Family Health Survey figures cited in the debate, 15.05% of Bihar’s population consumes alcohol, with dependence patterns observed among those aged 15 and above.
Tobacco trends are equally stark. A NIPF analysis indicates relatively lower bidi use but high prevalence of smokeless products like gutkha and khaini, aligning with long-standing consumption habits even after formal bans. NSSO’s Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) underscores the scale of spending growth. In rural Bihar, monthly expenditure on intoxicants rose from Rs45.94 in 2011–12 to Rs142.86 in 2022–23—roughly Rs4.75 per day now versus about Rs1.50 a decade earlier. Urban spending climbed from Rs42.30 per month (Rs1.40/day) in 2011–12 to Rs156.90 per month (Rs5.23/day) in 2022–23, reflecting a broad-based, statewide rise.
Category-wise, Bihar ranks 24th nationally for toddy and country liquor consumption despite prohibition, and 9th for gutkha and tobacco, while standing 28th for overall “drug use.” Law-enforcement data show a post-prohibition shift toward narcotics: NDPS Act cases rose from 83 in 2020 to 255 in 2021, before moderating to 181 in 2022, suggesting a flourishing trade in cannabis, opium, and heroin as alcohol restrictions tightened.
The picture that emerges is of a persistent demand-and-supply ecosystem that adapts around bans—fueling an illicit economy, complicating public health goals, and widening the enforcement burden. Experts and officials increasingly point to the need for a dual track: firm action against trafficking and spurious supply, paired with demand-reduction strategies—cessation support, de-addiction services, and community programs—targeted especially at youth and low-income households that bear the brunt of health and economic harm.
