Policy to battle drug menace in Punjab in works, rehab priority

The AAP government is all set to bring out a policy to take on the lingering menace of drug abuse in the state. With focus on prevention, enforcement, de-addiction and rehabilitation, the policy will be rolled out within two-three months.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has already formed a State Steering Committee, headed by Chief Secretary KAP Sinha with Principal Secretary Rahul Tiwari as its nodal officer, to monitor and coordinate the de-addiction and rehabilitation programme.

AAP govt studying Manipur model

• The AAP government is examining if the Manipur policy on substance use can be replicated in the state
• This policy focuses on gender-specific problems and community-based detoxification
• Steps include easy availability of medicines that can prevent drug overdose deaths

The special focus of the policy, official sources say, will be on weaning teenagers and women off narcotics since the number of such drug users has gone up in the past few years. On the cards is the revision of high school and college curriculum to add chapters on drug abuse awareness and at least two more de-addiction and rehabilitation clinics for women, with one to be set up in Ludhiana. As of now, there is just one de-addiction centre for women, which is located in Kapurthala.

The sources say the government is also examining the Manipur State Policy on Substance Use to see how much of it could be replicated in Punjab. “This policy understands gender-specific problems in treatment and rehabilitation. The focus is on community-based detoxification and home detoxification of drug users. Measures include ready availability of medicines that can prevent drug overdose deaths, if given on time,” they say.

The ruling AAP had drawn flak over rampant drug abuse due to its easy availability in the state during the Lok Sabha elections last year.

While the second half of the last year was dedicated to tightening the noose around drug peddlers, the focus this year will be on prevention, de-addiction and rehabilitation. The school and higher education departments will be roping in master trainers whose job will be to create fear psychosis among students over the ill-effects of narcotics.

The community policing wing of the state police will also be roped in for weaning youngsters off drugs.

The state already has 303 drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres, including private ones. The state also runs 529 outpatient opioid assisted treatment (OOAT) clinics, besides mobile OOATs, with maximum patients seeking treatment in Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Bathinda. Data from these centres revealed that the maximum number of patients are in the age group of 18-25. With the Taliban government in Afghanistan banning heroin, its inflow has reduced in the state. But the use of pharma opioids has increased, revealed data of seizures by the state police.

Emphasis in these centres will now be on de-addiction from pharma opioids, although opioid substitution therapy will continue to be used to wean addicts off other narcotic substances, said a senior government officer.