J&K Has 6 Lakh Drug Addicts, 90% From 17-33 Age Group: Govt

Jammu and Kashmir has six lakh people affected by drug-related issues and 90 per cent of the drug addicts belong to the age group of 17-33 years, according to an official report.

The report was released during the first meeting of the state-level committee of the Narco Coordination Centre chaired by Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta. He stated that the Union Territory has approximately 4.6 per cent of its population into substance abuse and called for formulation of an action plan for achieving concrete results on the drug menace front, Republic World reported.

J&K Prime Source Of Illicit Drug Trade

It was revealed that the Union Territory lies in close vicinity to the golden crescent, which produces 80 per cent of the opium globally and is considered as the prime source of the illicit drug trade, hence there is a widespread prevalence of drug consumption.

The Chief Secretary underscored the need for compiling data on the production of poppy and cannabis in the UT and cross-border transportation to assess the presence of the substances and their synthetic derivatives in Jammu and Kashmir.

To tackle this growing menace, Mehta spoke about the formulation of a multi-faceted strategy like proper training of enforcement agencies, assessment of illicit production and trade, enhancement of drug testing capacity, arrest and conviction of accused, seizure and destruction, and counselling and rehabilitation of victims.

He directed the constitution of a sub-committee for drafting an action plan for achieving concrete, on-ground results within a specific period by involving divisional, district administrations, and other stakeholders.

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