Types of Drugs in India: Names, Effects, Laws & Stats

Types of drugs in India can be sorted into 3 groups by origin (natural, semi-synthetic and synthetic) and 6 groups by effect (depressants, opioids, stimulants, hallucinogens, cannabis products and inhalants). Alcohol is the most used of them, followed by cannabis and then opioids, according to the national survey run by AIIMS for the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Most families learn these names only after a problem has begun, and street words like smack, chitta, MD and doda post rarely appear in textbooks. This guide gives each substance with its everyday names, effects, legal status and how many people use it. If someone close to you uses nasha regularly, our drug addiction treatment page explains how care works at Athena.

How Many Types of Drugs in India Are There? Quick Answer

No government body publishes a single official count, because the same substance can be grouped by where it comes from or by what it does. Doctors mostly use two systems:

• By origin: 3 types, namely natural, semi-synthetic and synthetic.
• By effect: 6 types, namely depressants, opioids, stimulants, hallucinogens, cannabis products and inhalants.
• Outside both lists: tobacco, which is legal and heavily regulated but still addictive.

The table below puts the six effect groups side by side.

Sedatives, painkillers and cough syrups can all be prescribed legally, which is why misuse of them often stays hidden for longer. Our prescription drug addiction treatment covers that kind of dependence.

Types of Drugs in India by Origin: Natural, Semi-Synthetic and Synthetic

The origin of any drug will give you information about its source and also an approximate idea about the potency of the substance and its unpredictability.

Natural Types of Drugs in India: Cannabis, Opium and Coca

Natural forms of drugs are directly obtained from plants and fungi. Bhang, ganja, charas (cannabis), poppy (opium), coca leaf and psilocybin mushrooms all fall under natural forms of drugs. Cocaine obtained from coca leaf is also classified as a natural drug.

Semi-Synthetic Types of Drugs in India: Heroin and LSD

These start with a natural substance that a lab then changes. Heroin is made from morphine, which comes from opium, and it acts faster and harder than either. LSD is built from a compound found in ergot fungus. Heroin users often move from smoking to injecting, which adds the risk of HIV and hepatitis through shared needles. Our heroin addiction treatment programme is built around that risk.

Synthetic Types of Drugs in India: MD, Meth and Tablets

Synthetic drugs are made entirely in laboratories. Methamphetamine, MDMA, mephedrone, tramadol and the benzodiazepine group of sedatives are the ones families hear about most. Street batches differ in strength from one packet to the next, so a user never knows the real dose, which is behind many overdoses.

Types of Drugs in India by Effect: What Each Group Does to the Brain

The effect of a drug decides its main danger.

Depressants and Opioids: Types of Drugs in India That Slow the Body

Alcohol, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety tablets slow down the brain and make a person drowsy and calm. Opioids do the same and also block pain. At a high dose, breathing slows and can stop, which is how most opioid deaths happen. After long use, stopping alcohol or sedatives suddenly can trigger seizures, so withdrawal needs a doctor.

Stimulants and Hallucinogens: Types of Drugs in India That Change the Mind

Cocaine and methamphetamine give a few hours of energy and confidence, followed by a crash of tiredness, low mood and anxiety. Heavy use can bring paranoia and dangerous heart rhythms. LSD and magic mushrooms distort sight, sound and time, and in some people the psychosis outlasts the drug. 

Cannabis and Inhalants: Types of Drugs in India Teenagers Use

Regular heavy cannabis use can lead to dependence, and starting in the teenage years is linked with poorer memory and attention. Whitener, glue and petrol cost almost nothing and are sold in any shop, so younger users reach for them first. Sniffing them can stop the heart, even the first time.

What Are the Types of Nasha in India? Names Parents Should Know

Most people say nasha rather than drug type, and the words change from state to state. These are the groups counsellors and parents hear about most:

• Sharab, daru: alcohol. Illicit home-brew can contain methanol, which causes blindness and death.
• Bhang, ganja, charas: cannabis. Bhang is tied to Holi and Shivratri, so many families treat it as harmless. The national survey found that dependence is proportionately higher among ganja and charas users. Our cannabis addiction treatment page explains when use has turned into dependence.
• Afeem, doda post: opium and crushed poppy husk, usually taken as a paste or in tea.
• Smack, brown sugar, chitta: heroin. Chitta is the common word in Punjab.
• Dawai wala nasha: tablets, syrups and injections taken for the high, not for illness.
• MD, coke, ice, acid: synthetic and party drugs.
• Sunghne wala nasha: whitener, glue and petrol.
• Gutka, khaini, beedi: tobacco.

Which Illegal Drugs in India Are Banned Under the NDPS Act?

The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 bans the production, possession, sale, purchase and transport of narcotic and psychotropic substances without a licence. Heroin, cocaine, opium, charas, ganja, LSD, MDMA, methamphetamine and mephedrone are all covered. Alcohol, tobacco and bhang leaf are not, and states make their own rules for those.

Small and Commercial Quantity of Illegal Drugs in India

The penalty depends on how much is found. The government notifies a small and a commercial limit for each drug.

Punishment for Illegal Drugs in India by Quantity

• Small quantity: up to 1 year of rigorous imprisonment, a fine of up to ₹10,000, or both
  
• Between small and commercial: up to 10 years and a fine of up to ₹1 lakh
  
• Commercial quantity: 10 to 20 years and a fine of ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh, with bail very hard to get

Section 64A of the Act can shield a person who is dependent and volunteers for treatment from prosecution for small-quantity offences, so speak to a lawyer about how it applies. Treatment usually begins with supervised medical detoxification.

Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Limits change by notification, so check the current text before relying on any figure.

What Are the Most Common Drugs in India? Survey Numbers

The only national survey so far was run in 2018 by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre at AIIMS, New Delhi, for the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It covered people aged 10 to 75 in every state and union territory.

Among opioids, heroin was the most used (1.14%), followed by pharmaceutical opioids (0.96%) and opium (0.52%). Alcohol being legal hides how large its harm is: only about 1 in 38 people with alcohol dependence reported any treatment. Our alcohol addiction treatment page explains the options. A newer survey began in July 2025, so these figures will change once it is published.

Warning Signs of Common Drugs in India Misuse

One sign alone proves nothing, but several together over a few weeks are a reason to talk to the person.

• Changes in sleep, appetite or weight with no medical cause
• Money going missing or new debts appearing
• Secrecy, new friends, falling marks or repeated absence from work
• Empty tablet strips, foil, syringes or whitener bottles in bags and rooms
• Sweating, shaking or anxiety that eases once they use again

A psychiatric assessment can show whether drug use, a mental health condition, or both are behind the changes.

How Is Addiction to Types of Drugs in India Treated?

Treatment usually runs in four steps:

1. Assessment: a doctor records which substance, how long, and any physical or mental illness.
2. Detoxification: withdrawal is managed under medical care, because alcohol and sedative withdrawal can cause seizures.
3. Therapy and counselling: this deals with the reasons for use and teaches ways to avoid relapse, and for opioid dependence, medicines can also reduce craving.
4. Follow-up: regular visits after discharge keep recovery steady.

Severe dependence or repeated relapse usually needs residential care away from triggers, followed by structured relapse prevention and aftercare.

Drug Addiction Treatment at Athena Behavioral Health

Athena Behavioral Health provides drug addiction treatment for people dependent on alcohol, opioids, heroin, cannabis, cocaine, MDMA, LSD and prescription medicines. A clinical team of doctors runs the care, which covers medical detoxification, inpatient and outpatient treatment, day care, psychotherapy, relapse prevention and aftercare. People who also live with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or PTSD are treated for both conditions together.

Athena has five centres:

Same-day and next-day admission is available, emergency patient pick-up is offered in Delhi NCR, and the helpline on 95992 23591 is answered 24×7. You can see every location on our centres page.