‘Lack of check by parents, wrong friend circles among reasons’
Sanjeev K Sharma
JAMMU, Apr 30: It’s shocking for a place popular as ‘City of Temples’ that even the children as young as 12 years of age here are falling prey to the menace of narcotic addiction despite the fact that law enforcement agencies have arrested record number of narcotic smugglers and seized big stocks of intoxicants during different operations.
As addiction to intoxicants has increased manifolds in Jammu and Kashmir, all the stake holders hold lack of parental check on children and absence of awareness and moral values among factors responsible for the menace spreading its tentacles.
“In the last 2-4 years about six children as young as 12 years of age visited our Centre for de-addiction,” Pallavi Singh, Incharge at an NGO run De-Addiction Centre in Jammu informed.
“Even doctors get confused as to what treatment should be given to such young children,” she maintained adding: “In most of the cases involving such children both parents are working and rather giving their quality time, they give hefty pocket-money to their children using which they buy narcotic substances.”
Pallavi said that after becoming addicts, some of these children were dropped out from their schools but the Councillor at the De-addiction Centre helped them rejoin the schools.
She referred to one such child of 12 years of age who became hardcore addict as both of his parents have died and grandparents started taking his care.
“The grandparents gave hefty pocket money to the child and some big boys befriended him for his money and made him addict,” she informed adding that the child was, however, de-addicted afterwards.
Sources informed that children having adverse social and family condition are more vulnerable to addiction.
Dr. Shehnaz Butt, Incharge at Drug De-addiction Centre at District Police Lines (DPL) Jammu informed that majority of addicts visiting them at present are from the age group of 15-35 and these people are heroin and cannabis addicts.
“Though some 12-13 age group addicts also visited us but their number is not too big but alcoholics visiting us are from all age groups,” she said.
“Minors of 12-15 years of age have immature minds and out of curiosity they easily fall prey to addiction as they rejoice experimenting new thing,” Dr. Butt said adding that due to lack of moral values and failing to decide between right and wrong, the youngsters become addicts.
“The youngsters feel that life is there to enjoy, be it in anyway and while tasting the narcotic substance as an experiment, they fall prey to it,” she continued informing: “Another reason for increase in addiction is that presently the drugs are easily available as peddlers are almost everywhere.”
“The De-addiction Centre at DPL Jammu was started in 2013 and so far the number of addicts visiting here has increased manifolds,” Dr. Butt further said.
Dr. Abhishek Chowhan, In-charge De-addiction Centre at Psychiatric Hospital Jammu informed that maximum patients visiting them are in the age group of 18-30.
“Of the 200 patients admitted at the De-addiction Centre with us only 1-2 were of 14-15 age group,” he said.
Dr. Chowhan informed that sometimes wrong friends manipulate and lure minors into addiction while lack of awareness is also the reason for that as youngsters don’t know how strong these intoxicants are.
“They feel as if nothing will happen on tasting the narcotic substance just for once and doing so they enter the trap of this menace victimising themselves while out of frustration also some people consume narcotic substances and become addicts when someone tells them that by doing so they may get relief from the stress,” he maintained adding that so far only two addict girls have visited them as the girls mostly prefer to get treated from outside at some anonymous place.
“We de-addict the 100 per cent patients visiting us but once they leave the Centre, within 6 months 95 per cent of them again recycle themselves and again start taking narcotic substances,” he continued.
Experts suggested a multi-faceted and multi pronged strategy from individual to parents level involving family members, schools and administration to actively work to fight the addiction menace.
They also said that the parents should give quality time to their children, know their friend circles, watch their school atmosphere etc.
Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) In-charge, Senior Superintendent of J&K Police (SSP), Vinay Sharma when contacted said that police is working hard to strictly deal with narcotic smugglers to save the youth.
“For the last 3-4 years more First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered and many people were arrested for their involvement in narcotic trade,” he said.
“In the year 2022 as many as 237 persons involved in narcotic trade were arrested under stringent PITNDPS (Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act-an act as stringent as Public Safety Act (PSA) in other criminal offences,” he continued.
SSP Sharma also said that till March 2022, as many as 468 FIRs were registered and 657 peoples were arrested while this year 527 FIRs were registered in the first three months and 772 people were arrested and huge recoveries of charas, heroin and other intoxicant substances.
“For the last 3-4 months talks in schools are also being organised and Government has designated nodal officers in schools and colleges along with special counselling cells to alert the parents if their ward shows any symptoms of addiction,” he said.
More experts suggested that the parents should give time to their children, understand their problems and avoid overstressing them and if a child remains silent, has low fitness and prefers loneliness then they should consult some specialist.
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