International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is a United Nations International Day against drug abuse and illegal drugs trade. 

This year’s theme ‘Health for Justice. Justice for Health’ emphasises that justice and health are “two sides of the same coin” when it comes to addressing the problems associated with drugs. According to the United Nations, in order to create effective responses to tackle the problem of drugs, accountable institutions of criminal justice, health and social services should work together to provide integrated solutions.

𝘿𝙧𝙪𝙜𝙨 𝘼𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖  :

Over the last couple of decades, drug consumption has become one of the gravest problems affecting the children and youth of the country. In February 2019, the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi submitted its report “Magnitude of Substance Use in India” that was sponsored by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The total cases estimated by the report, more than half of them are contributed by states like Assam, Delhi, Haryana, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh that have a high prevalence of drug abuse and disorders. Punjab ranks consistently at the top or in the top five in many of the surveys conducted to measure drug abuse and illicit trafficking.Due to Punjab’s proximity to the border, the state serves as a transit route for smugglers for the distribution of drugs in the state and the rest of the country. Youth who are unemployed often resort to narcotics in the hope of forgetting their troubles. Sometimes, the youth try drugs for fun under the influence of their peers, which often results in addiction. The Punjabi music industry only exacerbates the problem, as glorification of drugs has become a trend. The problem was so severe that it prompted the Punjab government to set up a "culture commission" last year to tackle the “menace of vulgarity” and its complete eradication by monitoring songs.

𝘿𝙧𝙪𝙜 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖 :

According to an old report by United Nationsbacked International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), India is one of the major hubs for illicit trading of drugs. The drugs range from cannabis to more recent prescription drugs like tramadol.

According to an official of the Red Cross Drug Deaddiction and Rehabilitation Centre, Gurdaspur, “The geographical location of the district makes it prone to trafficking of many types of drugs. This affects not only the dealers but also the people, as the drugs are easily available and are cheaper.”

𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙇𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝 : 

From 25th March 2020 our country have started facing a lot of problems because of lockdown. During such stressful situations, the concerned government, hospitals, educational institutions, organizations, and even individuals need to look into psychological intervention and adopt necessary measures. In addition to educating individuals to stay isolated, it is vital to educate and prepare them to face the mental health issues they may endure during the period. Hence, the following tips provided in the table below helps to overcome the impacts of lock-down on mental health. Mental health is a type of crucial aspect which should be addressed during this lockdown as all modes of communication revolve around the virus. 

....... 𝙔𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙖 𝘽𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙬𝙖𝙡 

  This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.