Mental Health and Substance Abuse — Amendments

Amendment	Year	Description	Impact
N/A (New Act)	2017	The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, replaced the Mental Health Act, 1987. It is not an amendment but a complete overhaul of the previous legislation.	Revolutionized mental healthcare in India by adopting a rights-based approach, aligning with UNCRPD. It decriminalized suicide, guaranteed access to care, introduced advance directives, and established regulatory bodies, fundamentally changing how mental illness is perceived and treated.
Amendment to NDPS Act	2014	The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Act, 2014, introduced changes to the NDPS Act, 1985. Key changes included allowing for the use of essential narcotic drugs for medical and scientific purposes, simplifying procedures for their manufacture and distribution, and enhancing penalties for certain offenses.	Aimed to streamline the availability of essential narcotic drugs (like morphine) for pain relief and palliative care, addressing a long-standing public health concern. Simultaneously, it sought to strengthen the punitive framework against drug trafficking, reflecting a dual approach of facilitating medical use while maintaining strict control over illicit activities.