The need to be conscious about the prevalence of increasing drug addiction in Jammu and Kashmir, perhaps has become stale in the sense that mere consciousness alone was no remedy as the stage has reached not only to fight a well planned campaign against drugs and other narcotic substances’ use and addiction but implement in letter and spirit the devised Drug-De-addiction policy. State Administrative Council (SAC) headed by Governor received due commendation for rising to the occasion and notifying a policy some two months back in this respect but it is disappointing that its implantation has not yet begun.
Availability, sale, storing, distributing, trading and transporting drugs and narcotics substances in and around Jammu and Kashmir needs to be seen from an angle of yet another disguised war fought at the behest of forces inimical to the peace and progress of this country with the sole purpose to wreck the most productive and forceful human resources, that of the young people of this state. Our younger generation , it hardly needs any special emphasis , are the builders of this state and the nation; they have to guard our borders and skies and waters , treat in hospitals and rule to serve this country and for all that they are required to be physically and mentally very powerful which is too sacrosanct to be even slightly disturbed. Use of drugs and narcotics substances is not only striking hard at their normal parameters of physical stamina and strength, their psychological and intellectual growth but bringing in its wake, devastation for the individual families as well and also cumulatively for the society.
We have no qualms about the intents and purposes of the delay of two months if due to unavoidable reasons, but urge the authorities concerned for not letting complacency and slackness to creep in, which would render the implementation part of the de-addiction policy plunge into dormancy. Agreed , terror and terror related violence consumes much of the attention and priorities of the State Government under President’s rule currently but it has to be borne in mind that drugs use and proceeds thereof constitute a support base of funding such activities which could be nipped and frustrated only by ensuring no use of drugs. Besides, those who could not “live” without drugs having become addicts and thus proving as an assured market for these drugs, needed to be “treated” clinically in de-addiction centres.
We appreciate that the action plan was drafted by the Health and Medical Education Department as that was tantamount to giving professional touches to the draft but the reasons of its not being finalised by a Committee as yet are not known. It may be recalled the designated Committee has the mandate to monitor implementation of the policy at the State level. It was a nice idea to have non official members from the civil society on the Committee for better and result oriented results but why they have not been nominated so far. The policy enunciates that there will be de-addiction centres monitoring committees one each for each division of the state with due representation from the Police, Legal department , civil society etc . These Committees continue to be still on the papers only and not formulated so far.
We do not believe in merely pinpointing the flaws and deficiencies only but keep on suggesting remedial measures as well, even appreciating the constraints of the administration as also feel convinced that inaction of just two months time cannot be expected to be unusual but to remind the administration too becomes paramount looking to the sensitivity of the problem . All stake holders, departments and agencies are required to assess the gravity of the problem which calls for a joint tirade against the use of drugs, narcotics and psychotropic substances and implementation of the de-addiction policy strictly, wholly and effectively now without any further ado.
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