Ills’contributing to rise in drug addiction

Doubtless to mention is the fact that the drug abuse has increased manifold in Jammu and Kashmir state. Historically, a low drug addiction zone, Kashmir has lost its innocence. The official figures revealed so for show that most of the youth in the 18-35 age group are addicted to drugs in Kashmir and Jammu divisions of the state. If experts are to be believed use of opium is the one of the bigger causes of spread of drug addiction in the state. The trends indicate that school and college students have fallen in the trap of drug addiction. The availability of illicit drugs in the open market is an area of high concern but unfortunately the concern is restricted to drug policies changed from year to year. Till June last year popular governments used to talk much about drug policy but all claims of the government have fallen flat in the last week when Mirwaiz Molvi Umar Farooq the Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman and valley’s top religious cleric and Satya Pal Malik the Governor raised serious concerns over the alarming rise in drug addiction among the youth in Kashmir valley. This speaks of the inconsistency coming in the way of the execution of a drug policy devised to curb the menace of drug addiction in Kashmir. Governor Satya Pal Malik blaming militancy for the rise in the menace of drug addiction and Mirwaiz seeing the failure of parents a big reason for rise in drug addiction are the attempts to paint a political colour to the spread of this unpardonable crime in Kashmir. While Governor Satya Pal Malik would be shocked to know that the menace of drug addiction is spreading at a faster pace in Jammu region than Kashmir Kashmur, the Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman and valley’s top religious cleric Mirwaiz Molvi Umar Farooq can’t blame only the parents for the spread of drug addiction menace in valley but religious preachers too have failed to carry out a regular awareness campaign for stemming the rot.
Unfortunately this social evil threatening the lives of thousands of youth in Kashmir is being patronised by a flourishing nexus of illicit drug dealers, small scale narcotics producers and market networks. Not only an effective drug policy, but the involvement of police in curbing the menace of drug addiction has become imperative. A concerted joint effort by the government, law enforcing agencies, the civil society groups and religious clerics to stem the rot in Kashmir is needed. Only a focused drive would ensure menace of the drug abuse in Jammu and Kashmir state. Awareness, identification and eradication by understanding all nuances of the menace could be the only way out.