news details |
|
|
| Serious Social Challenge | | | Drug abuse has emerged as one of the most serious social challenges confronting Jammu and Kashmir. What was once largely viewed as an urban or isolated problem has increasingly affected communities across towns, villages and even remote areas. The growing presence of substance abuse threatens not only the health and future of young people but also families, social stability and the region’s economic and human potential.
The fight against drugs, therefore, cannot be treated merely as a law-and-order issue. It is equally a public-health, education, employment and social responsibility challenge.
Law-enforcement agencies have intensified action against drug trafficking, with large numbers of cases registered, traffickers arrested and narcotic substances seized. Authorities have also moved against properties and financial assets linked to the illegal trade. Such measures are essential because the supply chain that profits from addiction must be disrupted firmly and consistently. At the same time, enforcement alone cannot eliminate demand.
The most important battlefield is the prevention of addiction among young people. Adolescence and early adulthood are periods when individuals can be particularly vulnerable to peer pressure, experimentation, frustration and social isolation. Families, schools and communities must therefore create environments where young people can openly discuss their problems without fear of stigma or humiliation.
Education has a critical role to play. Awareness about the physical, psychological and social consequences of drug abuse should become a sustained part of school and college programmes rather than an occasional campaign. Teachers and parents need to recognise early warning signs and know where professional assistance is available.
Equally important is rehabilitation. A person struggling with addiction should not be permanently labelled or socially rejected. Addiction requires treatment, counselling, family support and sustained rehabilitation. More accessible de-addiction and mental-health services, particularly in rural and frontier areas, can help ensure that people receive assistance before their condition becomes severe.
Employment and constructive engagement are another important part of the solution. A young person with access to education, skills, sports, culture, entrepreneurship and meaningful employment has greater opportunity to build a positive future. Investment in youth must therefore be considered an important component of the anti-drug campaign.
Communities too have a responsibility. Religious leaders, civil-society organisations, elected representatives, health professionals and local institutions can help create a strong social movement against addiction. Parents should maintain communication with their children, while society must avoid turning recovering individuals into permanent outcasts.
The war against drugs requires the combined strength of the government, families, schools, healthcare institutions and society. Every young person saved from addiction is not merely an individual rescued—it is a family protected, a community strengthened and a future secured. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
