Drug free society - Are we ready for that
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: June 26 2012 -

In connection with observance of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Coalition Against Drug and Alcohol (CADA) organized a blood donation camp at RIMS blood bank :: Pix - Hueiyen Lanpao

As we set out to observe another International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking to raise awareness about the dangers and problems that illicit drugs pose to the society, we, the people in one of the most drug affected states in the country, needs to take an introspective as well as retrospective look to see how our joint efforts towards combating the menace of drug abuse has been going, to find out areas where we have been falling short so that necessary measures could be put in place for the success of the campaign in future.

We need to analyse why the problem of drugs has persisted in one form or the other in spite of relentless efforts down the years and see what can be done to scale up the campaign, wherever possible.

Otherwise, the future of Manipuri society would remain bleak with most people who are in the most productive stage of life drowning in the whirlpool of drug and substance abuse.

In addition to rehabilitation of all those who have been affected by drugs, we also need to think of ways and means to keep away the uninitiated from treading the path into the same dark alleys and falling into the trap.

As one of the writers in our special feature on the occasion of observing International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, 2012 has pointed out, no amount of fund provided or the hype over the Look East Policy would do anything, unless the menace of drug crippling Manipur is put under control. Nothing could be truer than this.

Although Manipuri society has its own history of social conventions and traditions that encouraged use of drugs and other psychoactive substances like Ganja (Cannabis), Kani (raw opium), etc, in one way or the other, the impact of drug in the society has never been the same ever since the invasion of Heroin (No. 4) among the youth in late 1970s and early 1980s.

Close proximity to the infamous 'Golden Triangle' comprising Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, from where the international drug cartels originate and the illicit drug trafficking route passes through Manipur has made all the more vulnerable for the local youth in this strife-torn underdeveloped state to fall easy prey to drugs and substance abuse.

The days of easy accessibility to Heroin powder in every nook and corner of the state may have gone, but the problem of drug among the Manipuri youth has metamorphosed into a different shape more monstrous and dangerous than one could ever imagine even in his/her wildest dream.

As another writer in our special feature has noted, nowadays, beginner abusers of Manipur are switching on to cheap and easily available substances ranging from Dendrite and correction fluids (Kores Eraz-ex) to enjoy self-satisfaction.

This changing trend of drug abuse among the youth definitely calls for an urgent attention for involving new strategies if we are to fight against a 'losing' war and save the lives of young people.

Are we ready for that? Let's ask this question and try to find an answer as we respond to the global call of creating an International society free of drug abuse.