Patiala MP for opium cultivation in state

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 10

The Sai Mian Meer Foundation today said the cultivation of poppy husk and opium should be allowed. Activists of the foundation and scholars stressed at a seminar that the youth could be saved from synthetic drugs by removing the ban on the cultivation of organic drugs. They alleged that after the implementation of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), 1985, the consumption of drugs as well as the influence of drug mafia had increased.

Dr Dharmvir Gandhi, Lok Sabha MP from Patiala, said, “The situation is alarming in the state as synthetic drugs are killing youngsters. Heroin and smack is much more fatal then ordinary drugs. It is high time to think about the alternatives to save the people. The government should remove the ban from the cultivation of opium in the state. The organic drugs are less harmful than the synthetic drugs.”

Dr Jagjit Singh Cheema, former Deputy Director, Health, stated that if the government allowed the cultivation of natural drugs, such as opium and cannabin, the problem of drug mafia and addiction of synthetic drugs would sort out automatically.

Harbhajan Singh Brar, founder of Sai Mian Mir Foundation, stated that there were 12 states in the country where farmers could grow the opium but it was beyond understanding why it was banned in Punjab. He said the state government should take a positive step.