Strengthening the follow up
Almost on daily basis the administration led by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and other civil and senior police officers urge the youth across Jammu and Kashmir to say no to drug abuse. The youth though constantly pursued to fix their gaze on other positive things in life which includes moving ahead in their careers and achieving something for the betterment of the country and the UT as well.
However, the menace of drug and substance abuse is so deep rooted that not a day passes when the police does not arrest drug peddlers and seize various substances from the nook and corner of Jammu and Kashmir.
The issue has become so grave that a long term plan needs to be drawn to address this serious concern and the plan chalked out should also include some serious measures for rehabilitation.
Though two months back the announcement of a comprehensive drug de-addiction policy envisaged to weed out this atrocious menace from the society has started to make inroads but the measures need quite a serious follow up.
Jammu and Kashmir has become the first Union Territory (UT) in the country, after Punjab state, to have a comprehensive drug de-addiction policy. The urgency to formulate a drug de-addiction policy by the government was due to the location of the UT in the vicinity of ‘Golden Crescent’, a name given to South Asia’s opium producing countries like Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan which produces 80 percent of the world’s opium and is considered as the prime source of illicit drug trade.
The policy implemented here has outlined formation of a UT Level Policy Implementation Monitoring Committee and J&K division level de-addiction centre monitoring committees. These committees have been constituted for strict implementation of the policy. The UT level committee has been assigned the task of suggesting changes in the drug de-addiction policy from time to time besides looking out for financial support for various de-addiction activities across Jammu and Kashmir.
Besides, these committees have been assigned the task of inspecting the existing de-addiction facilities in the UT and grant or cancel licenses after thorough inspection of infrastructure, manpower and standards of care.
The policy also focuses on various key aspects including prevention, rehabilitation and integration, training and sensitization, community participation, generating awareness and up gradation and establishment of drug de-addiction centers.
Ironically, the UT has recorded a steep rise in physical, mental and substance-use disorders over the past two decades and an alarming shift in the pattern of substance use in terms of rise in the number of female users, decreasing age at first-use, increasing use of solvents, injectable-opiates and use of steroids as well as increasing drug related deaths (over- dose and accidents.
Though most of these cases go unreported but a serious effort is needed to go deep down the entire row and seek out possible solutions to end the menace for which a serious beginning has to be made.
In addition another sphere where the government needs to intervene is that it needs to ensure demolishing the infrastructure and network that has been created over the years where the supply of drugs is penetrating the lowest level.
The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), which the policy has mandated in coordination with the Excise and Agriculture departments should immediately map the expected cultivation areas and take remedial actions in terms of destruction of illegal crops on both private and government lands.
The ANTF should also formulate an action plan to prevent such cultivation in the next season and will also undertake extensive awareness generation drives to inform the public about the associated risks and issues and accordingly plan a calendar of activities.
