SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: Although J&K administration is taking concrete steps to tackle the challenge, thousands of youths, including minors, are presently trapped in epidemic of drug abuse. A top health official rattled Kashmir with images of scar-dotted arm and leg of two drug addicts. The picture, posted on twitter on December 3, 2022, made valley’s drug menace even more harrowing in depth and detail. “Please protect yourself and your families from the epidemic of drug abuse,” appealed Dr Salim Khan, Head of the Department Community Medicine, Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar. It was for the first time that people saw such scary pictures of the drug addicts. But now an even uglier face has appeared after Centre’s alarming revelation that more than 9 lakh people are addicted to drugs in Jammu and Kashmir. The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment in a reply to a query from National Conference (NC) MP, Hasnain Masoodi revealed number of drug addicts in the lower house of the Parliament.
As per the official figures, over 9 lakh persons in Jammu and Kashmir are drug addicts. Giving the breakup, the Union Ministry said that an estimated 1.44-lakh persons were consuming cannabis in J&K of which 36,000 were female and the rest 1,08,000 males. It said that opium addiction was prevalent among 5.34 lakh males and 8000 females, sedative addiction among 1.6 lakh males and 8000 females. The ministry said that other drug addiction substances used in J&K are cocaine, inhalants, and hallucinogens, which were consumed by over 2 lakh persons. Kashmir is slowly becoming India’s drug hub. A recent study done by the Government Medical College’s Psychiatry Department has revealed that J&K has surpassed Punjab in drug abuse cases and is currently at number two among the top drug abuser states or union territories of the country after Northeast.
