Pupuji Koul
Jammu and Kashmir is confronted with the menace of drug addiction as the youth of this part of the country are grappling with the problem of drug addiction as the youth are taking drugs and making use of the drugs unprecedentedly. Since Jammu and Kashmir is in the grip of terrorism from the last over a decade, the people the UT are caught in a dilemma and confusion as on one side the militants are after the lives of the innocent people and on the other side they face the bullets of the security forces and this has made their and particularly the life of the youth miserable and the youth are feeling frustration, unemployment and many other social evils. As there is large scale unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir and because of the bullets of the militants as well as of the security forces, the youth are facing the monster of unemployment and because of the terrorism and lackadaisical attitude of the LG administration are feeling neglected and frustrated and with the result a sizeable number of our young ones are taking drugs and the problem of drug addiction has assumed alarming proportions and it is a big social malady and menace. It is in the fitness of things to throw light on the meaning of drug addiction so that we are able to trace it and fight it out from the society. First we should know what the meaning of drug addiction is? Any substance other than food that is used to prevent, diagnose, treat, or relieve symptoms of a disease or abnormal condition is drug. Further drugs can also affect how the brain and rest of the body work and cause changes in mood, awareness, thoughts, feelings or behavior. Some type of drugs such as opioids may be abused or lead to addiction. To be clearer drug addiction, also called substance abuse or substance use disorder is a disease that affects a person’s brain and behavior and leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medicine. Substances such as alcohol, marijuana and nicotine also are considered drugs. When you are addicted, you may continue using the drug despite the harm it causes. Drug addiction can start with experimental use of a recreational drug in a social situation, and for some people, the drug use becomes more frequent. For others, particularly with opioids, drug addiction begins when they take prescribed medicines or receive them from others who have prescriptions. The risk of addiction and how fast you become addicted varies by drug. Some drugs such as opioid painkillers have a higher risk and cause addiction more quickly than others. As time passes you may need larger doze of the drug to get high. Soon you may need the drug just to feel good. As the drug use increases, you may find that it is increasingly difficult to go without the drug. Attempts to stop drug use may cause intense carvings and make you feel physically ill. These are called withdrawal symptoms. Help from your health care provider, family, friends, support groups or an organized treatment program can help you overcome your drug addiction and stay drug free.We should know the symptoms of drug addiction so that we can fight this social menace which has brought wreck on our youth and society. The symptoms can be listed as under feeling that you have to use drugs regularly, daily or even several times a day, having intense urge for the drug that blocks out any other thoughts, overtime, needing more of the drug to get same effect, taking larger amounts of the drug over a longer period of time than you intended, making certain that you maintain a supply a drug, spending money on the drug even though you can’t afford it, not meeting obligations and work responsibilities or cutting back on social or recreational activities because of the drug use, continuing to use the drug even though you know it is causing problems to your life or causing you physical or psychological harm, doing things to get the drug that you normally wouldn’t do like stealing, begging etc, driving or doing other risky activities when you are under the influence of the drug, spending a good deal of time getting the drug, using the drug or recovering from effect of the drugs, failing in your attempts to stop using the drug, experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you attempt to stop using the drug etc.
Sometimes drugs are used in social gatherings like clubs, functions and marriages. It is called club drugs and are commonly used at clubs, concerts and parties. The drug addiction has taken alarming proportions in Jammu and Kashmir and it is important to know the extent of drug addiction in our UT so that we may be in a position to take measures to stop drug abuse. It is very unfortunate and most disturbing that in Jammu and Kashmir, with each passing day the number of drug addicts swells and it is becoming a grave cause of concern to the government and the general public as well. There is urgent need to strike at the very roots of the drug abuse so that the society can heave a sigh of relief. In November 2022, the state level narcotic coordination committee meeting chaired by chief secretary revealed that at least six lakh residents were affected by drug related issues in Jammu and Kashmir. On average INR 88,000 are spent by a drug abuser in the valley yearly, increasing Kashmir’s crime rate. In fact drug menace is gripping the valley as alarming number of youth get addicted. Thousands of youth in Kashmir are slipping into dark alleys of drug addiction as the valley has been flooded with a large quantity of heroin usage. The Jammu and Kashmir administration had said as per consumption survey there are at least six lakh residents affected by drug related issues in the region. The figures were revealed during the maiden meeting of the state level committee of the Narco Coordination centre chaired by Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta. The meeting outlined broad project contours for talking the drug menace in J&K where an estimated six lakh residents are affected by drug abuse. The officials noted that the drug menace in terms of its usage and addiction has significantly gone up in J &K during the recent years. As per the consumption survey, officials said 90 per cent users are from the age group of the 17-33 years. As per official figures, the Drug de-addiction Centre at SMHS Hospital in Srinagar receives at least 150 drug addiction Cases per day. According to officials 95 per cent of the cases are heroin abusers. Jammu and Kashmir is situated in close vicinity to golden crescent which produces 80 per cent of the world’s opium. In 2019, over 3850 IV heroin abuse cases were recorded, while the number rose to 13,200 in 2021. It is very important to fight the drug addiction on a war footing so that the society is freed from the drug abuse. The government, schools, medical centre’s, media both electronic as well as the print and the NGO’s and voluntary associations and the parents as well as the general public should cooperate and fight the drug addiction. The UT administration is doing its best to tackle the drug addiction but it needs the support of the parents, NGOs, VA’s as well as the general public otherwise the drug addiction will ruin us in the coming days and it will be a doomsday for the people of the Jammu and Kashmir and therefore there is urgent need to combat the drug addiction to save the society. There is need to make people aware about the ill-effects of drug abuse and the people should be properly informed that taking of drugs is not in their interests as it affects the mental as well as physical health of the drug abusers and so the people especially the youth should avoid taking drugs as a habit. The parents associations, NGOs, voluntary organizations, religious bodies, educational institutions and the general public should cooperate and fight the drug addiction. The government is doing its bit and now it is the moral, social and human duty of all of us to help the government in its fight against drug addiction and then only can the governmental efforts fructify. The police is doing an excellent job to fight the drug addiction in J&K and the people should support the police in this regard so that a drug free society in Jammu and Kashmir becomes a reality. The special wing of J&K police, ANTF has launched a major crackdown in J&K in a coordinated manner to curb narcotics smuggling with the arrest of over 1232 drug peddlers and lodging of 867 FIR’s in the first quarter of 2021-2022 and such action is continuing in 2023 as well to discourage drug addicts and give a blow to drug abuse in the UT. SSP Baramulla has said that civilians need to come forward to help the society get rid of drug addiction. The war against drug abuse cannot be won without their participation and support. LG Monaj Sinha said that administration has adopted a zero tolerance policy against drug dealers and drug traffickers. In brief the government is doing its best to curb drug addiction in J&K and the general public should provide support and help the government in its noble task of curbing drug abuse. It is our collective responsibility to join the fight against drug menace and only then will we win this battle against drug
addiction.
