International Illicit Drug Day Against Drug Abuse and Trafficking
Dr. Arvind Kumar, President, India Water Foundation invited as a Special Guest on”International Illicit Drug Day Against Drug Abuse and Trafficking ” at India Gate on 26th June 2012, where he shared his views along with hon’ble Minister Prof. Kiran Walia, Delhi Government high officials of NCB and Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, activists and academicians, media persons and other organisations. He expressed his views before the huge gathering of school children, RWAs Senior Citizens and urged them to stop the menace of drug abuse.
“According to broad estimates, more than 7 million people die annually due to drugs, the breakdown being 5 million (tobacco), 1.8 million (alcohol) and 0.2 million due to illicit drugs (with opiates being involved in about 60% of such illicit drug deaths). False notions of ecstasy, phantasy and illusion spur the youth to get ensnared into drug abuse. Civil society and other non-state actors like media, psychologists, students, women, senior citizens etc should come forward to sensitize the issue of drug abuse through inter-personal meetings and social networking. The myth about drug usage as a kind of status symbol in high society should be exploded as a ploy to carry on the illicit trade in drug trafficking by the vested interests. Such efforts need condemnation in stringent terms by almost all segments of the society. Free and cheap treatment to drug addicts, including good counseling should be made available in all Rehabilitation Centers in major cities. In order to rehabilitate the reformed ex-drug-addicts, entrepreneurial skills should be imparted to them to become self-reliant and thereby join the national mainstream as good citizens. There is a need for convergence and coordination between different agencies to come at a single platform to fight this social stigma. And a dire needs to encourage capacity-building of the young people and persuade them to participate in yoga, sports, entrepreneurship, and social encouragement etc. In this regard, senior citizens can also play a vital role. Saving the society from the menace of drug abuse is not the sole responsibility of narcotics enforcement authorities. Other stake holders like families, schools, civil society and religious organizations can play their part to rid their communities of drugs. Businesses can help provide legitimate livelihoods and the media can raise awareness about the dangers of narcotics. Illicit drug-trafficking poses a serious non-military threat to the security of many developing societies in terms of enmeshing the youth under its tenterhooks thereby eating into the vitals of social unity and harmony.”
