R C Kotwal
Drug addiction has long been and still is a issue around the world. There are different reasons why people get addicted and various levels to which people become dependent on drugs. Some people start taking them because of pure curiosity, others so as to improve their athletic performance or stress reliever and get rid of depression. It doesn’t matter why people start, the main issue here is to get help at the right time and not to ruin their health & life. There are a number of factors why & how young people get addicted to different addictive drugs. It has got socio-economic factors also responsible. We need to consider the broader & wider reasons for this mental illness & its related issues & problems.
When people start taking drugs, with time the way their brain functions and looks is altered. First of all, drug taking causes elevation of dopamine level in brain, which results in the feeling of pleasure. Brain remembers this event and wants it repeatedly. So, a drug any person takes eventually reaches the significance that other physiological needs have. As a result, the person’s abilities to think clearly, control behavior, exercise good judgment and feel well without drugs intake becomes affected. This, in its turn, causes problems in relations with family, friends, at work.
Teen drug abuse: Teenage girls and boys easily fall a prey to such menaces, knowing not that they are risking their mental & physical health.
Young teenagers who seek company outside their homes easily fall prey to the drug. Once caught, they become a part of the racket. The youth seems to be the target of this drug menace and its abuse. Curiosity, peer pressure, and availability of drugs such as cigarettes and alcohol are the immediate causes of drug abuse amongst the youth. In the company of spoiled associates, friends are driven to indulge in drug abuse. “Curiosity” it is said “kills the cat”. The youth of today are very inquisitive and curious. They would like to test the efficacy of whatever they see and hear of. This curiosity at times becomes fatal even to the point of death.
In attempts to find income and to survive the changing trends in the social strata, the youth indulge in drug trafficking, abuse and peddling of drugs in the name of employment. Today, a lot of the youths are involved in this drug peddling. Poverty therefore becomes a prime cause for this drug menace coupled with the negative attitude of the youth. This attitude is to “make money quick”. The youth today has this idiom, “get rich early or die trying”.
Prolonged use of drugs cripples the user’s judgment and thinking ability. This leads to a set of complex social, medical and psychological problems. A lot of people on our highways whom the public think mad are not really mad but have a mess-up of their mind set due to drug abuse and if care is not taken, a lot more will join the train of madness and ultimately young minds are going to suffer from mental illness.
In connection with the above, the economy is brought to a halt since able bodied youngsters who could have worked enormously to build the nation are involved in the use and trade of drugs. The nation in an attempt to curb this cancer uses the small resources at her disposal in the fight against the drug menace thereby leading to deficit and a decline in the economy.
The UN has launched wars on terrorism and drug trafficking in attempt to curb it. The UN has also set apart a day yearly to educate the populace on the need to avoid drugs and drug trafficking. In 1998, the UN General Assembly in a special session on the global drug menace acknowledged that drug abuse and its illicit trafficking is a global canker and issued a political declaration to counter the threats posed by it. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was the outcome. June 26th in every year has been set apart as an international day against drugs and its illicit trafficking.
Now a days, drug menace has also gripped Jammu city and the truth is appalling because the amount of drugs confiscated in Jammu city and its surrounding areas has become an alarming issue for the police as well as the society. The term coined for this kind of situation wherein the drug mafia tries to influence the society and authorities and later becomes a major threat to the smooth functioning of the Government is “Narco-terrorism”.
The drug trafficking is being done through areas like from Damtal in Punjab/Himachal Pradesh border, Poonch, North Kashmir LOC areas and most of the prescribed drugs are purchased from Chandni Chowk/ Bhagirathi areas of the Delhi. On a global level, drugs are manufactured in Afghanistan and they reach India via Pakistan. The drug smuggling has swallowed up in many states and it will only drag these areas to the verge of nothing but economic ruin.
Different kinds of drugs consumed by the addicts include Heroin, brown sugar, cocaine, opium(Afeem), Charas/Ganja, Poppy Straw, Capsules, Tablets, Injections and Corex/Phensedyl. These drugs have claimed many lives in past few years. Talking about our neighboring state Punjab, “Chitta” is a common name for heroin which has plagued the whole state. The drug peddlers are now spreading their tentacles to Jammu and Kashmir.
From past few years, there has been an increase in the arrests and the drugs confiscated from peddlers which tells that the police is taking stringent actions against druggies. Further, 61 FIRs were registered in the year 2013 and 79 people were arrested. Similarly, 63 FIRs were registered in the year 2014 and police have arrested 85 persons involved in illicit drugs related activities under different section sof NDPS Act. Likewise 99 FIRs were registered in 2015 and 163 people were nabbed by the department. The graph has risen exponentially as the authorities are taking stringent actions against drug addicts/peddlers and keeping an eye on all their activities Jammu Police has launched various programmes/drives to give relief to general public, one of these initiatives has been earmarked as “ANANDD” (Anti Narcotic & Drugs team) under Operation “Sanjeevani”,. The author has been designated as Nodal Officer of District Jammu and remained successful by arresting 292 people in 2016 and registering around 177 cases under NDPS Act. The recoveries made in the year 2016 speaks volumes about the status quo. In 2016, 27.757 kilograms of heroin and its derivatives, 187 kilograms of poppy straw, 197 injections, 2141 corex bottles, 2 kilogram cocaine and around 164 kilogram of ganja, 3 kilograms of brown sugar and about 34,453 tablets of psychotropic prescription drugs were recovered by police in Jammu.
J&K police have also launched drug de-addiction awareness programmes like “PAATHSHALA” in which the every SDPO has been told to visit a school/college every week to create awareness among students about the ill-effects of drugs and to interact with them, to counsel them.
Children in schools around the globe have been encouraged to participate in the drug education, “say no drugs, say yes to life” programmes. Families and other agencies that associated in the upbringing of the child should also counsel the children on the dangers associated with drugs. Identifying causes should be known by the child so as to draw their attention whenever they go wayward and to retrace their steps. The addicts who think all is lost for their life should be encouraged, motivated and given hope and support so as to help them start anew.
The question is really frightening because here the life of our generation is at stake, so we must decide how we want to save/counsel them. It is not only the duty of authorities but parents and friends have got a major role in this. As we all know, the root cause of substance abuse includes various social, psychological and financial issue so it is important to keep a check on mental wellness of the people close to you. Communication is the key to bridge this gap wherein a kid first gets into depression mode and then turn to drugs for mental relief. It is high time that we talk about mental health with our kids, friends, parents, elders or whosoever seems little upset because in this stressful world, one positive word can prevent them from indulging in drug abuse.
(The author is Superintendent of Police Headquaters, Jammu)
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