Seminar on impact of drug use held
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 14 2011:
A one- day seminar on the Impact of Drug Use in Manipur was jointly organized by the Department of Anthropology, MU and Community Network for Empowerment (CoNE) at the conference hall of the Anthropology department today.
Speaking on the occasion as a resource person on the topic "Addressing the issues of HIV among Injecting Drug User in Manipur", Dr Tomcha, Deputy Director TI MACS, said that among the various risks groups in our society, the Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) are the highest.
As such the state government through MACS has implemented 41 IDU Targeted Intervention (TI) projects in the state.
He further said that Oral Substitution Therapy (OST) project is being implemented by 7 NGOs in five districts in nine different sites under Project Orchid.
The project will be further implemented in the other remaining districts by the end of this fiscal year.
Speaking on the topic "Social and Economic Impact of Drug Use in Manipur", Proff MC Arun, Dept of Anthropology, MU said that the problems faced by the youths of the society need to be addressed.
Since the youths live in a mal functioning society, they begin to use drugs.
As they are into drugs they normally don't perform their duties as a citizen.
As the mal function becomes more acute, it further leads to the use of drugs by the youths again.
This vicious cycle, as long as it remains, the drug users' problems and issue will always remain.
So this vicious cycle has to be stopped at all cost.
Rk Ibungosana, Superintendent of NCB Regional Unit Imphal, spoke on the topic "Role of NCB supply reduction in Manipur", "Issues and Problems faced by people who use drugs in Manipur" by a member of CoNE, Vicky Nepram, Secretary, Life Line Foundation, spoke on the topic "Responses by NGOs in HIV prevention among IDUs" and Dr Jayenta, Director RRTC, Imphal spoke on the topic "Demand Reduction approaches and its gaps in Manipur" as resource persons.
The seminar was moderated by Proff Nabakumar of Anthropology Department, Manipur University.