Days after The Indian Express investigation on the drug crisis gripping Bihar, leaders across the political spectrum raised concerns and urged immediate action.RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha said his party has raised red flags about the prohibition policy – Bihar is a dry state – since its early years. “We have been flagging this since the completion of the first year itself. Since 2018 onwards, we have been raising concerns that there are serious flaws in the prohibition policy,” he told The Indian Express.Jha alleged that prohibition had created “a kind of nexus involving people from the government, the law enforcement machinery, ordinary citizens and even small children”.Warning that “Bihar could surpass Punjab” in the scale of its drug problem, he pointed to the state’s border with Nepal and its proximity to Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal, where prohibition is not in force.“If, after this report, the government simply sits on it and assumes that everything is rosy, we are preparing our own disaster,” he said.As reported by The Indian Express, even as Bihar cracked down on liquor, cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Bihar rose from 697 in 2019 to 1,905 in the first five months of 2026 alone.Seizures of narcotic tablets also increased sharply, from 29,762 in 2022 to 9.29 lakh in January-May 2026. Meanwhile, beneficiaries at de-addiction centres supported by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in Bihar rose from 1,487 in 2022-23 to 29,429 in 2024-25, an almost 20-fold increase.Story continues below this adJan Suraaj leader Kishore Kumar Munna argued that prohibition had changed the form of intoxicant consumption rather than eliminated it.“The rise in substance abuse has one main reason: the liquor ban. Alcohol consumption has not stopped; its form has changed,” he said, arguing that wealthier consumers continued to obtain liquor while poorer people were turning to adulterated liquor and cheaper narcotics. He said the higher price of illicit liquor had pushed some users towards other substances.Munna also linked the problem to poverty, inadequate employment opportunities and shortcomings in the government school system. He argued that teachers faced growing administrative workloads, leaving them with less time to teach and pay individual attention to students.Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) Bihar state in-charge and Jamui MP Arun Bharti also described the spread of drugs as a serious concern for Bihar’s youth. He said that the state government was committed to action against traffickers and to treatment, rehabilitation and awareness for those affected.Story continues below this adBihar Congress state media vice-chairman Gyan Ranjan said that the state needed a decisive crackdown on drug addiction. “Bihar does not need slogans of prohibition; it needs a genuine war against drug addiction. The growing narcotics problem is not merely a law-and-order issue; it threatens the future of Bihar’s youth, the state’s social fabric and the aspirations of millions of families. Instead of celebrating political achievements, the government must address the realities on the ground. A government that promises to protect society must also answer for its efforts to safeguard young people from drug addiction. We want a Bihar where young people dream of education, employment and success, not addiction, despair and destruction,” he said.BJP remains firm on prohibition, says cracking down on drugs tooThe BJP has maintained that the prohibition policy introduced by former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will continue.“Bihar’s prohibition will not be ended at any cost,” said Niraj Kumar Sharma, BJP Bihar spokesperson. “Even if we are losing Rs 20,000 crore in revenue, we consider women’s dignity and safety more important than that loss. CM Samrat Choudhary has been clear on continuing Nitish Kumar’s decision of prohibition for the greater good of the women and society.”Story continues below this adSharma said the government recognised that the drug problem was serious but maintained that it required a response distinct from the liquor ban, which he said had been introduced to protect women.He said that independent surveys and studies have recorded positive outcomes of the liquor prohibition policy. “A large survey conducted by Chanakya National Law University with the support of Jeevika and other organisations found that 99 per cent of women and 92 per cent of men supported the prohibition. An IIM Ranchi study published in August 2026 reported improvement in health, increased savings, and a reduction in violence against women. A study published in The Lancet in 2024 estimated a comparative reduction in regular alcohol consumption and a substantial number of cases of intimate partner violence averted. Road accidents have also decreased in Bihar due to liquor prohibition,” he said.Sharma said Patna, Vaishali and around seven districts bordering Nepal had been identified by the government as particularly affected areas. “Authorities were monitoring routes used to transport narcotics and pursuing a two-pronged strategy: disrupting supply with the help of the police and Special Task Force, while attempting to reduce demand through awareness programmes and de-addiction initiatives,” he said.“The Prohibition and State Narcotics Control Bureau was established in September 2025 by merging the Anti Narcotics Task Force with the state police’s existing prohibition wing,” Sharma said, adding that the government was also seeking to involve young people in collective efforts against substance abuse.Story continues below this adOn the increase in NDPS cases and seizures, he argued that higher numbers also reflected “improved detection and enforcement”. He acknowledged that “police action alone would not suffice and that society’s participation is essential”. He also cited the Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan and coordination with central agencies as part of the government’s response.