Srinagar: Urging government to support in opening rehabilitation centres, Civil Society Forum Kashmir (CSFK), Thursday, demanded curb on free availability and sale of psychotropic drugs.
There are currently only two de-addiction centres one is with Psychiatric disease hospital and other is police de-addiction centre.
“Health department has fully failed society in checking and controlling free availability & sale of psychotropic drugs all over the state. Drug abuse has become a huge industry in J&K state now. Medicines worth Rs 30 are sold as high as Rs 500.Drug peddlers have an absolute free hand in the J&K state with no organized efforts to control the abuse,” spokesperson CSFK said in a statement issued to press here.
Drug abuse causes Heart attack, deaths, infertility, memory loss, health deterioration, psychotic behavior, brain damage, alteration in the body metabolism, intoxication of the circulatory system and damage of nervous system and the brain, the statement said.
Appealing, Health Minister, to ensure prevention and control of drug abuse at the earliest in J&K state.
Claiming that men and women, boys and girls, as young as 10 years old, are falling prey and government is silent over the issue, CSFK said that medicines worth Rs 30 is being sold as high as Rs 500.
“Drug peddlers have an absolute free hand in the J&K state with no organized efforts to control the abuse,” statement reads.
CSFK in very strong words appeals to government to control drug abuse in a professional way with the consultation of UNODC, WHO and other organizations, which are working on control of drug abuse at national and international level, reads the CSFK statement.
