Conclave of Principals : Mission Angel Dust, in city February 23

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Feb 21, 2017: A news release recieved here announces that Principals of schools and colleges in  Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kodagu and  Kasargod will converge on 23 rd February  at Yenepoya University to rally under  Mission Angel Dust to deliberate on the  escalating drug abuse problem.

The conclave will commence at 10 AM and end at 1 PM, At Lecture Hall IV, Yenepoya Medical College, Yenepoya University. Mission  Angel Dust is the brain child of  Dr.G.Shreekumar Menon, retired Director General of the National  Academy of Customs, Excise & Narcotics,  and the present Registrar of Yenepoya  University. Recently Karnataka HomeMinister Shri.G.Parameshwarappa  quoted official statistics to reveal that Mangaluru had become a major hub for  illicit drugs. In 2016, Mangalore  registered 239 cases whereas Bangalore  had 128 cases.

Drug dealers lure youth by giving  tantalizing names to drugs like Candy, Flake, Rock, Liquid Ecstasy, Poppers, Kit  Kat, African Salad, Microdot, Mary Jane and Zombie Weed. These drugs when  consumed trigger hallucinations,   inability to track time and an altered  sense of reality, because they  manipulate the Synapses in between  nerves in the Central Nervous System,  resulting in the brain acting out of  control, resulting in visions and  hallucinations in which light, colors and  sounds are enhanced and vivid, giving a  detachment from reality. Brain  Chemistry gets modified in profound and  mysterious ways. Drugs also come with a  long list of documented side effects like  violent behavior, hallucinations, panic  attacks, and suicidal thoughts.  Unfortunately, dangers of drug abuse   are not a part of school or college  curriculum. Efforts to fight drug abuse  must start from schools.

To rectify these  lacunae, Yenepoya University Chancellor Y.Abdullah Kunhi has set up the  Yenepoya Narcotics Educational  Foundation of India (YNEFI), with   Dr.G.Shreekumar Menon as its CEO.  Under Mission Angel Dust the conclave  of Principals will discuss the extent of  drug abuse among youth, why drug  abuse occurs, the effects of drug abuse,   how schools and colleges can combat  the problem, what teachers and  principals can do, and assess the future  requirements of drug abuse prevention  programs. The event is partnered by Rotary Club Hillside No.3181, Malabar  Gold, Jet Airways and Corporation Bank.  D.K. District Superintendent of Police  Bhushan Gulabrao Borase IPS will  inaugurate the conclave.