Drug Menace: Cost Is Huge

The menace of drug addiction continues to be the biggest threat facing future generations of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a complex illness with far-reaching consequences for those who know, work with, and support the drug-addicted individual(s), the J&K High Court observed recently.

As a consequence, the families suffer due to the cultural and social factors of drug behavior.

A drug abuser drains family resources. The menace is associated with shrinking of responsibilities, sickness and dysfunctional relationships, distortion of interpersonal relationships, violence and death of a drug abuser.

While it may be true that the abuse is a global health and social problem with conditions and causes that vary locally, it remains a prominent issue of mortality across the world and consumes lives of millions of people.

The use of psychoactive substances among adolescents and young adults has become a subject of public concern worldwide for varied consequences.

In J&K’s context, as experts would say, the geographical location helps in the easy availability of drugs.  The overall crisis naturally play a role but other factors like peer pressure, unemployment, easy availability of the drugs and the fact that no one wants to talk about the issue, remains the area of concern.

The covid-19 crisis could become apposite to those dealing with illicit trade who only want and, are unfortunately getting, more people to become their prey.

The fiscal downturn caused by the pandemic may drive more people to substance abuse or leave them vulnerable to involvement in drug trafficking and related crimes.

Vulnerable and marginalized groups, youth, women and the poor have been harmed the most. Now facing more economic and allied crisis in generations, the administration cannot afford to ignore the dangers illicit drugs pose to public health and safety.

In words of the top court, common to J&K and Ladakh, strict ‘hard on crime’ attitude is needed against the instances of drug abuse J&K as its cost is enormous and multifaceted which poses severe threat to the very social fabric of the society.

There is a need to stop the supply, sale and purchase of drugs. Also crops locally grown ought to be completely destroyed. The cultivation of such crops need to be stopped and a strategy needed to be devised by which people of different age groups can be targeted and made aware of the consequences of the menace.

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