Let me make something clear before I go ahead. I strongly believe that Cigarettes, Alcohol, Marijuana, Ecstasy, Cocaine, LSD are all DRUGS which are obviously damn harmful to your body, are addictive as hell and will eventually kill you in the long term. These are the only qualifications a substance needs to be classified as a “DRUG”.
Tobacco is usually seen as a gateway drug which children take just to experiment with, and gradually they progress to alcohol and then cannabis.
The incidence of drug abuse among children and adolescents is higher than the general population. This is notably because youth is a time for experimentation and identity forming. Changing cultural values, increasing economic stress are some other reasons leading to initiation into drugs use.
One of the major reasons for drug abuse is it’s glorification in popular media such as
television series and films. Quite often it so happens that doing drugs is romanticise and some fictional positive aspects of the same are shown.
The processes of industrialisation, urbanisation and migration have led to loosening of the traditional methods of social control rendering an individual vulnerable to the stresses and strains of modern life.
At a very basic level this happens because the person concerned feels a desperate need to deal with stress, to get a momentary high or to just ‘fit in’ with his or her peers, as happens in the case of youngsters. It soon reaches a stage where this need becomes much more than other needs in life and the person begins to believe their survival depends on those drugs.
There is an urgent need to understand the complexity of the problem having far-reaching social, economic and political implications.
There are over 190 million drug users around the world and the problem has been increasing at alarming rates, especially among young adults under the age of 30.
There has been a constant rise in its consumption.
Since it's addictive, it's difficult to come out of this easily and this makes most of the addicts a victim of drug paddlers and dances to their tunes. He or she becomes irresponsible to themselves, their dependents and finally to the nation.
What has the government done in this regard?
The Government has taken several policies and other initiatives to deal with the drug
trafficking problem.
It constituted the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in November, 2016 and revived the scheme of “Financial Assistance to States for Narcotics Control”.
In 2017, the government approved new Reward Guidelines with increased quantum of reward for interdiction or seizure of different illicit drugs.
For effective coordination with foreign countries, India has signed 37 Bilateral Agreements/Memoranda of Understanding.
Narcotics Control Bureau has been provided funds for developing a new software i.e. Seizure Information Management System (SIMS) which will create a complete online database of drug offences and offenders.
The government has constituted a fund called “National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse” to meet the expenditure incurred in connection with combating illicit traffic in Narcotic Drugs; rehabilitating addicts, and educating the public against drug abuse, etc.
The government is also conducting a National Drug Abuse Survey to measure trends of drug abuse in India through the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment with the help of National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of AIIMS.
The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, prohibit a person to produce, possess, sell, purchase, transport, store, and/or consume any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance. The NDPS Act has since been amended thrice – in 1988, 2001 and 2014. The Act extends to the
In spite of so many regulations, yet the entire endeavour is quite profitable and flourishing. I am of the firm opinion that this cant happen without the cohesive blend of “KHADI AND KHAKHI”. We may come out with new legislation, nothing will change, till the time this nexus is broken. I am also of second opinion that its like a “Fevicol ka jod hai, tutega naheen”
The bonding of this nexus is evident from the investigation of Shushant Singh Rajput murder mystery. In Spite of all the top agencies CBI, NCB, Enforcement Directorate, nothing has come out and nothing will come out except a few small weakest wickets will fall.
Will this situation lead to harness the potential of demographic dividend ?????
Will those parents and relatives who have lost their siblings because of this menace will not curse you????
Will the tears of those dependants whose children have turned their back towards them or physically assault them for need of drugs, will be wasted like water???
Will those who are into this hell and living like dead will continue to live like this???
National mission on Drug control is far more important than - Beti Padho Beti Bacho, National Housing Mission, National Solar Mission, Rural Health Mission, Digital India, Ayushmann Bharat, Fit India etc. etc. All these missions have relevance only, if the youth is healthy and responsible, otherwise every mission is irrelevant.
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