City police chief warns of stringent action against drug peddlers, dealers

City police chief warns of stringent action against drug peddlers, dealers

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, June 27, 2019 : Speaking at International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking organised by Mangaluru City Police here on June 26, Wednesday; City Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil warned Police will take strict action against drug peddlers and dealers.

The police chief Patil said the police are keeping an eye on drug peddlers and dealers.

By consuming drugs, one may get high feeling for 10 minutes, but they will end up ruining their life, he reminded and called upon students to challenge themselves to do  good deeds and achieve greater things. An awareness programme will be organised for one month on the ill-effects of the use of drugs, he added.

Dr Mahabala Shetty, head of the Forensic Department at the K S Hegde Medical Academy (KSHEMA), said that narco terrorism is on the rise in Kashmir, Punjab and other areas. “Drug abuse awareness programmes should not be restricted to a day. instead, they should be continuous. One should not spoil an entire life for a few seconds of enjoyment,” he advised.

“Drug trade is the second top business in the world and illicit drug trafficking contributes to 1% of the world’s GDP. The magnitude of this business is very large and involves big money as well as governments. It is prevalent in India due to the golden triangles on the West and East – Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran and Laos-Myanmar-Thailand respectively – which produce the highest amounts of opium and also pump a lot of narcotics into India,” said Dr Shetty.

The highest number of suicidal deaths related to drug abuse is in Kerala. The presence of more than 80,000 drug addicts has been reported in the Srinagar Valley, according to a report submitted by a well-known psychiatrist, he added.

“The excise duty on cigarettes and alcohol too must be increased so that there is a heavy clamp down on these gateway drugs,” Dr Shetty suggested.

Link Rehabilitation Centre’s Lydia Lobo said, “Ten years ago, patients were mostly found to be alcoholics above 35 years of age. Now, however, children aged merely 11 years too are addicted to various substances like whiteners, nail polish removers, petroleum and Iodex. People can get addicted even to Facebook.”

She added, “We need to treat not just the victims, but also their families. Addiction does not see age, status or qualification – it can affect just anyone.”

Dr Ananth Prabhu, faculty at the Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management, said, “Logical reasoning in this generation has led to an increase in substance abuse compared to the older generations. There are too many types of addiction now, including addiction to pornography, sex, gambling and video games.”  Many programmes were held in the city to bring awareness on this scourge and all saw good response the awareness will continue for a while.