Govt To Table Drug Abuse Bill In Current Assembly Session: Minister Sakina Itoo

Jammu, Feb 5: The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Thursday announced that a comprehensive bill aimed at tackling drug abuse will be introduced during the ongoing session of the Legislative Assembly.
Speaking on the floor of the House, Minister for Health and Medical Education Sakina Itoo said that the draft legislation is ready and will be presented before the Assembly in the current session.
The Minister’s statement came in response to National Conference MLA Tanvir Sadiq, who recalled that he had earlier brought a private member’s bill seeking mandatory inclusion of awareness about the harmful effects of drug addiction in school curricula, which he later withdrew following assurances from the government.
Replying to the concerns raised, Sakina Itoo informed the House that the government has also finalised the Drug De-addiction Rules. “The rules have been framed and forwarded to the Law Department for scrutiny and necessary examination,” she said.
She added that the government remains committed to strengthening preventive and rehabilitative measures to curb the growing menace of drug abuse in the Union Territory.