DRUG ABUSE

It’s not about cannabis or opium anymore: (child right to care and protection)

At some point of time we have seen a sight of small street children rolling weeds in night-time, catching a corner at shady places slipping away from police patrolling. Lost youngsters using drugs or child beggars using drugs may add to the category, but there are cases where children are wholly and chastely into drugs.

Peer pressure and environment around lure the children to imitate the same. Children caught consuming and dealing drugs are hooked under Juvenile Justice Act. Why exactly do these children fall into drug abuse? Minors consuming drugs usually belonged to families not finally sound, one parents children, peer pressure, child abuse or forced drugging for begging and other criminal conspiracies.  Poor children are more likely to fall prey to drugs. Small kids inhale ink to get a kick as they have very few options to seek pressure. Prince from Rasulpur Saidan village in Patiala district, where more than 24 minor boys, in the age group of nine to 10 years, are "hard-core" drug addicts. Drastic actions are needed besides corrective steps to safeguard that the purity of minors is not stolen by drugs.

A recent story which broke out on Facebook, a man posted real time story about child drug abuse. The story read, he saw a woman with a child begging on streets near subway. He came in contact with the woman on daily basis. Later when he observed that the lady carrying child was always sleeping, he confronted the lady. She was perplexed and left without answer. When peeped into the matter it was exposed that the child was drugged every 3 hours. To add on the child was a victim of trafficking.

Instead of persecuting the drug addict, the drugs itself should be shunned. Child is not bad it’s the drug. Prime Minister Nadrendra modi has put stress on the drug addiction scenario leading to destruction on a massive scale through Maan ki Baat on All India Radio. At civic level, Ngo’s, religious groups, parents and teachers can provide psychotherapy and provide drug preclusion knowledge.