Commitment of law makers must to curb drug scourge
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: July 27, 2022 -
IF at all there is consensus among the elected people’s representatives to enact stringent laws to tackle the drug abuse and smuggling menaces, as had been proposed by Congress MLA K Ranjit on the floor of the assembly on Monday, then it is possible that the future generations could be saved from falling prey to psychotropic drugs.
Taking into account of the fact that there has been regular seizures of banned drugs in the state and beyond, it seems that there is substance in the MLA’s observation that the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act in its present form is ineffective and more stringent provisions need to be incorporated to make the Act serve its purpose.
By contending that the Act has been rendered toothless as it can’t even effect arrest of village chief or leader involved in poppy plantation, Ranjit has rung out a strong message to his politician colleagues they mustn’t remain oblivious to the growing public suspicion possible nexus, if any, between the drug kingpins and the political class.
The Sugnu MLA’s remarks on the first day of the assembly session that the legislators have full knowledge about activities, whether legal or illegal, in their respective areas and it would be impossible to fight drug issue without active participation of elected leaders also deepen the public’s apprehension that neither all the elected people’s representatives have saintly characters nor could they be trusted to contribute towards eradicating the menace of substance abuse and lending genuine support to the ‘war on drugs’ mission of the government.
Like it or not, inability of the establishment to fix responsibility on village chiefs under whose area of jurisdiction poppy plantations are thriving or had been destroyed underscores that the existing NDPS Act shall have to be reviewed and strengthened without which the drug kingpins will be emboldened to sustain their nefarious activities and expand area of operation.
As such K Ranjit’s suggestion that the 60 MLAs of the state back the proposed enactment of a stringent anti-drug law which could give death penalty or life imprisonment to arrested drug dealers not only merits consideration but should also be endorsed, for it is now commonplace for drug users to use different psychoactive substances.
As drug abuse is often accompanied by a devastating social impact upon community life, there might come a time when the government can’t control drug-induced violence and crime apart from onset of socio-political issues such as financial problems, homelessness and vagrancy.
There had been incidents of drug abusers committing both petty and brutal crimes in the past whereas at the juncture there is notable presence of drug-user human scavengers who spend the night inside ring culverts, waiting sheds, or any available space, all of which are evidences of the impact of use of illicit psychoactive substances amongst the young people.
Amid such evolving distressing situation, it is heartening to hear minister Th Biswajit responding to the MLA Ranjit’s opinion that the government is considering to award heavy penalty to drug dealers as part of the ongoing efforts to uproot drugs from the state. The minister’s assertion testifies that the law makers could indeed unite to make the anti-drug campaign meaningful.
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