Multi-pronged strategy needed to check drug menace, says CM
A multi-pronged strategy has to be evolved to check drug trafficking, said chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, adding that strict action should be initiated against persons involved in the illicit trade.
A multi-pronged strategy has to be evolved to check drug trafficking, said chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, adding that strict action should be initiated against persons involved in the illicit trade.
The CM intervened in a question raised by Yasir Reshi in the upper House on the policy being adopted by the government to control drug trafficking for saving the youth from the menace and the task force being established by the government in this case.
In reply, minister for health and medical education Lal Singh said the government had adopted a policy to control drug trafficking, broadly based on promotion of use of narcotics and psychotropic substances for medical and scientific purposes, while preventing their diversion from illicit sources and prohibiting illicit traffic and abuse.
The minister said a state-level apex committee under the chairmanship of chief secretary had been constituted which holds regular meetings for prevention of cultivation or drug trafficking in the state.
He said the government had taken initiatives like establishment of drug addiction and treatment centres, strengthening the regulatory mechanism of the state drug control, preparation of standard treatment plan based on treatment requirement of an addict, sensitisation of consumer population and continuous monitoring mechanism to control drug menace.
The minister said no person had been put behind bars during the past five years for drug trafficking. He said three cases in Srinagar, one each in Baramulla, Kupwara, Kulgam and Shopian and three cases of habit-forming drug cases had been registered.
GN Monga, Shehnaz Ganai, Qaisar Jamsheed, Sofi Yousuf, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo, Haji Inayat Ali, Surinder Choudhary and Vibodh Gupta raised supplementary questions.