Involvement of children in drug peddling alarming: Expert
Bhanu P Lohumi
Tribune News Service
Shimla, June 26
OP Sharma, convener-cum-adviser, Nasha Nivaran Board, said today that a special survey was required to assess the gravity of drug menace in the state with a special focus on youth. He stated this on the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
Speaking to The Tribune, he said drug addiction among youth had gone up from 2 per cent in 2002 to about 40 per cent this year. He said in 2002, the consumption of drugs was limited to cannabis. “Gradually, heroin and poppy husk made inroads into the state. Many drug addicts started consuming psychotropic drugs like tablets, cough syrup and injections. ‘Chitta’ is the latest addition,” said Sharma.
He said the shift from cannabis to psychotropic drugs and ‘chitta’, involvement of women and children in drug trafficking and formation of chains of drug addicts had set alarm bells ringing for the authorities.
“In the wake of Covid outbreak and the economic crisis arising out of it, many people have lost their jobs. With this, the threat of rise in drug addiction and smuggling cases is looming large over the state,” said Sharma.
“Profiling of gangs operating in the state, plugging the gateway through chemists, diversification of agriculture for ruminative returns, strengthening of intelligence agencies and mobilising the ‘nasha nivaran samitis’ can play a significant role in keeping people away from drugs,” said Sharma.
He said awareness campaigns should be reoriented with focus on children below the age of 12 years and parents should be counselled. “The ‘nasha nivaran samitis’ constituted by the police can play a meaningful role in this regard,” he said.
DGP Sanjay Kundu had also said earlier that drug trafficking and consumption of narcotics synthetic drugs was a serious problem.
Developing robust intelligence, crime mapping and network tracing, undercover operations, professional investigation and forfeiting properties of criminals must be some of the strategies to address the problem, Kundu had said.
