AIIMS report on drug abuse in Kashmir alarming: NC

Srinagar, Jun 29: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Wednesday expressed concern over the collective failure of the government agencies in curbing the menace of drug abuse among Kashmiri youth.
In a statement party’s State Spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said that Kashmir is moving towards an unimaginable catastrophe with little to no attention being paid by the government to come up with a holistic approach towards stopping this growing menace.
While taking strong exception to the slack attitude of the government in addressing this growing crisis, he said, “For years now, Kashmir is witnessing a new epidemic—drug addiction. This has spurred deep concern in Kashmiri society. The figures emanating from various government agencies also call the efforts of the government in curbing the rise of drug abuse to question. The survey carried by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of AIIMS reveals the severity of the problem. The study has placed J&K on 5th spot at national level and claims that over 6 lakh people in J&K are abusing drugs.”
Merely working on reining in the narcotics mafia won’t help win the war against the problem, he said adding that unless the government makes a massive outreach to our youth, this war on drug abuse cannot be won. “Our youth are fighting insecurity, unemployment and democratic disenfranchisement all at the same time. There is a great need to infuse a sense of security in our youth. However putting the entire job of fighting the problems on the shoulders of law enforcement agencies alone won’t help. The battle against the menace has to be fought at multiple levels,” he added.