According to a recent Parliamentary Panel report, 1.3 million people in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are drug addicts. On 4 August 2023 the Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment has conveyed to the Parliament of India that approximately 13.50 lakh drug users are estimated to be in Jammu and Kashmir, with the majority falling within the age range of 18 to 75 years. The data indicates that 10 per cent of UT’s population is addicted to drug abuse. It is alarming and should shake all the citizenry here. In these columns, the menace of drug abuse and drug trafficking has been discussed umpteenth times, even to the extent of sounding repetitive, but the crisis in the society is so serious that it needs this repetitiveness. It is satisfactory to note that the government is working on the issue seriously and JK Police too has been working tirelessly to deal with the issue. It is because of these efforts that huge quantities of contraband drugs are being seized almost every day and traffickers are being apprehended.
Though a lot is being written and said about the issue and the concerned government agencies are trying their best to help the addicts to overcome the menace and start their lives afresh, the menace continues to grow in size with every passing day. Fact of the matter is that drug trafficking and abuse can’t be dealt only with official machinery, few social organization and doctors alone. It needs a strong and collective response from the citizenry. People need to understand that those who grow bhang in their agricultural farms and those who pump in heroine and brown sugar into Kashmir are the worst enemies of Kashmiris. They may be earning money while doing so but that money is being earned at the cost of the health and lives of Kashmiri youth. It is high time that people wake up to this disaster in making and fight the battle against drug trafficking. Religious leaders, particularly the Imams of Masjids can play a vital role in fighting this battle. Every Friday, the Imams lead congregational prayers and give sermons about various issues. People listen to them, respect them and their word has an impact. Let these Imams talk about the menace during these sermons. Let them make people aware about the disastrous outcome of the menace. The mohalla and village elders too need to play their role. As responsible citizens they should keep an eye on their respective areas and if they find someone involved in such crimes, they should take help from law enforcing agencies to stop the crime. Kashmir’s civil society too needs to wake up and make the talk of narcotics part of public discourse. The battle has to start from every household and people have to understand that presence of drugs and drug abusers gives birth to all kinds of crimes.
Human beings have a tendency to escape in times of distress and sometimes this escape tendency leads to drugs and then addiction. Sometimes drugs are consumed voluntarily by individuals to enter into an altered state of mind and escape from the realities of life. Regardless of the initial stimulus, the dependency on drugs to alleviate situations often takes unprecedented toll on one’s life emotionally, physically and socially. We need to understand that abnormal and inappropriate use of mind altering drugs when prescribed or purchased over the counter too is termed as Drug Abuse. The Parliamentary Panel report should serve as an eye opener and the society should understand and appreciate the magnitude of the crisis. This elephant in the room is to be controlled otherwise it will destroy the entire house (UT).
