Alarming rise in drug addiction among youth: J&K Minister Itoo

The J&K Assembly witnessed heated discussions on Tuesday as Health Minister Sakina Itoo raised concerns over the alarming rise in drug addiction among the youth. Addressing the House, she acknowledged the severity of the crisis but expressed hope that the “Nasha Mukt Abhiyan”, launched in 2022, was beginning to show results.

“It is a fact that drug addiction among the youth of J&K had been rising at an alarming rate,” she said. “However, since the launch of “Nasha Mukt Abhiyan” in September 2022, records indicate a slight decrease in new cases.”

According to government data, the number of individuals undergoing drug de-addiction treatment in J&K was 9,775 in 2022, which declined to 8,702 in 2023 and further dropped to 6,925 in 2024. Despite this, MLAs from across party lines stressed the need for a deeper discussion to combat the growing menace.

The debate turned confrontational when AAP MLA Mehraj Malik accused the BJP of failing to act against drug addiction during the period when J&K had no elected government. His remarks sparked a shouting match between ruling and opposition legislators, forcing Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to intervene. Calling for a thorough discussion, the Speaker announced a half-hour session to deliberate on strategies for tackling the crisis.

In her address, the Health Minister noted that while the number of registered drug addiction (OPD) cases had shown a downward trend over the past three years, inpatient addiction cases had increased. She attributed this rise to the expansion of IPD services in de-addiction centres, leading to more admissions and better access to intensive treatment.

The government, she said, had adopted a drug de-addiction policy, established a state-level policy implementation monitoring committee, and launched a massive awareness campaign under “Nasha Mukt Abhiyan”. At present, 11 Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs) are operational in the Kashmir division and nine in Jammu, while OPD services are functional in all 20 districts. Inpatient facilities are also available in all nine Government Medical Colleges (GMCs)

To strengthen rehabilitation efforts, 25 medical officers — 12 from Jammu and 13 from Kashmir — were trained by NIMHANS, Bengaluru, and deputed to their respective districts. The government has also introduced real-time monitoring of drug addiction trends through Google Sheets and launched ‘Tele Manas,’ a dedicated call centre to assist drug victims seeking treatment.

As the debate continued, several MLAs, including CPM leader MY Tarigami, Congress MLA Nizamuddin Bhat, BJP MLAs Arvind Gupta and Yudhvir Sethi, and NC MLA Hasnain Masoodi, raised concerns over the alleged failure of agencies to curb the crisis.

“It is a very important issue. Over the last several years, drug addiction has drastically increased,” said Tarigami. “Who ruled this region for the past 10 years? They must answer for this rise. What measures have they taken to address it?”

With political tensions high and addiction cases continuing to affect thousands, the discussion in the Assembly underscored the urgent need for stronger measures to combat drug abuse in J&K.