Though tragic death of a youth reportedly caused by drug addiction in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district has sent shocking waves across Kashmir but religious leaders and civil society groups in valley unfortunately don’t bother to dig out the causes of the rising drug addiction among youth for the purposes of corrective measures in both Kashmir valley and Jammu division even after this growing menace is becoming the cause of deaths of teenagers in valley. Though Police is doing whatever it can do to curb the growing menace of drug addiction as dozens of drug peddlers are arrested week after week in both Kashmir Valley and Jammu division but there is no end to the growing menace of drug addiction spoiling the lives of hundreds and thousands of youth year after year in Jammu & Kashmir. True it is that in view of the unprecedented rise in the no of drug peddlers month after month and year after year it has become inevitable and unavoidable for the government to setup more and more drug de-addiction centres at more and more tehsil headquarters across Jammu & Kashmir . It is also an irrefutable fact the onus of generating mass awareness about ills of drug addiction lies also on both religious preachers and as well as civil society groups in both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division. While experts in the awareness programs conducted by police department have been stressing on the illegal trafficking and sale of drugs in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division but unfortunately religious leaders and civil society groups don’t even think about launching awareness programs against growing menace of drug addiction independently to make youth part of the anti-drug addiction campaign across Jammu & Kashmir.
Parents and teachers can detect the use of drugs among children at a very early stage and seek the cooperation of police and health departments for suitable corrective measures at a very early stage. In fact the involvement of religious preachers, civil society groups, NGOs’, parents and teachers can by all standards of understandabilities change the awareness campaign against drug addiction into a mass movement which in turn could reduce significantly the rising intensity in the spread of drug addiction across Jammu & Kashmir .
The awareness campaign against drug addiction would by standards of understandabilities reduce the unprecedented rise in the frequency of the spread of drug addiction among youth across Jammu & Kashmir. Not only religious preachers but also teachers working in educational institutions, Parents and NGOs’ have to play a crucial role in the awareness campaigns against the rising menace of drug addiction across Jammu & Kashmir. Never forget that parents and teachers can detect the use of drugs among children at a very early stage and seek the cooperation of police and health departments for suitable corrective measures at a very early stage. In fact the involvement of religious preachers, civil society groups, NGOs’, parents and teachers can by all standards of understandabilities change the awareness campaign against drug addiction into a mass movement which in turn could reduce significantly the rising intensity in the spread of drug addiction across Jammu & Kashmir .
