Substance abuse high

ROOTING OUT the drug menace remains an uphill battle in India as the number of adults, youngsters and children taking drugs continues to soar. These disturbing statistics came to the fore in a report tabled by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Particularly distressing for the region are the facts that Punjab and Haryana figure among the states with the maximum drug users and Chandigarh is placed at the third spot among the UTs; children account for a fairly large proportion of those consuming hazardous and habit-forming drugs.

Even as Punjab has been battling this social evil for decades, the latest numbers are an eye-opener. With a population of around three crore, the state is home to over 66 lakh drug users, including 21 lakh consuming various types of opioids. This is a shockingly high number of citizens indulging in substance abuse and it should jolt the state government into revamping its anti-narcotics operations.

Last month, the Punjab Police had claimed that their special anti-drugs drive had led to 12,218 FIRs being registered under the NDPS Act in the past 12 months. However, the cases pertain mostly to small-time peddlers of drugs, while the key to curbing this menace lies in catching the powerful smugglers. The FIRs must be complemented by a crackdown on the big fish of the drug supply trade. In this regard, the seizure of 77 kg of heroin from four persons involved in a trans-border drug smuggling racket is a notable achievement. Studies have repeatedly emphasised that the unholy nexus between law enforcers, smugglers and politicians is flourishing. This nexus has to be broken, failing which the drug scourge will continue to ruin lakhs of families.