Srinagar, Sep 14 (KNS): Civil Society Forum Kashmir (CSFK) on Thursday said that the Drug Controller Department has miserably failed to check free and easy availability of psychotropic drugs.
In a statement issued to KNS, CSFK appealed Health Minister to ensure prevention and control of drug abuse at the earliest in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Thousands of youths are falling prey to this menace, which further cripples the productive age group of our society. Men and women, boys and girls, as young as 10 years old, are falling prey and government is silent over the issue,” CSFK said
They said that even professional students have been found addicted to drugs. “There was a time when we could talk of an area worst hit by drug abuse but now there are no demarcations left. Every division and every district is badly affected,” the statement added.
The CSFK said that the health department has fully failed to check and control free availability and sale of psychotropic drugs across the state.
“Drug abuse has become a huge industry in J&K state now. Medicines worth Rs 30 are sold as high as Rs 500.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelDrug peddlers have an absolute free hand in the J&K state with no organized efforts to control the abuse,” the civil society said, adding that “With such abuse, the heart attack, deaths, strokes, infertility memory loss, health deterioration, psychotic behaviour, brain damage, alteration in the body metabolism, intoxication of the circulatory system and damage of nervous system and the brain. The brain loses its control and produces anxiety, depression, changes in mood, insensible decisions are common and frequent results of drug abuse.”
CSFK appealed government to control drug abuse in a professional way with the consultation of UNODC, WHO and other organizations, which are working on control of drug abuse at national and international level.
They said that government should provide support in opening several well-equipped rehabilitation centres. “There are currently only two de-addiction centres in Kashmir, one is with Psychiatric disease hospital and other is police de-addiction centre,” they said. (KNS)