Government should act on drug addiction issue: Nasir

Srinagar, Dec 18: National Conference Provincial President Kashmir, Nasir Aslam Wani has expressed concern about the unprecedented spike in the drug abuse cases and has asked the government to come up with a proper scientifically justified response.
In a statement issued from the party headquarters, Nasir said, “It’s time for the government to change the discourse about the drug addiction issue and start to view it as a disease rather than a law-and-order issue.”
He further said, “Government in its next budget should allocate a major budgetary provision to build a world class facility to render treatment purely based on scientific, professional and technology driven manner. Government should pick up one of the picturesque spots of the valley for such a facility.”
Nasir has also asked the government to permanently employ therapists and psychologists working on meagre salaries across the various hospitals of Kashmir. “Kashmir has some of the best trained psychologists available who in the absence of proper jobs prefer not to practice in the valley. It’s imperative to bring their expertise in so that we are able to grapple with this huge scale of drug abuse victims,” he said.
He also demanded that the government release the job of policy making solely by the bureaucrats and rather employ a range of professionals- psychologists, social scientists and activists and use their wide experiences in drafting an effective policy.