Editorial . . . . . . . 

Punjab, a state adjacent to J&K, has long been troubled by drug usage. In Punjab, narcotics are widely accessible, and the youth are heavily involved with drugs. Pakistan and Afghanistan are nearby, as is Punjab. The lucrative drug smuggling trade uses the border as a key transit route. Drug abuse in Punjab has a negative impact on J&K. Since it is simple to transport drugs out of Punjab, J&K is also losing young people to drug misuse. Pakistan is carrying out in J&K what it did in Punjab years ago.

No age group is more negatively impacted by alcohol and drugs than young people. It seems to be a problem for you, your family, and friends everywhere at times. Simply said, no matter how hard you try, alcohol and drug abuse are problems that you cannot ignore. Nationwide, alcohol and drugs have an impact on each and every one of us, either directly or indirectly: in our homes, families, schools, dorms, communities, towns, and cities. Because of this, there are concerns that kids and adults alike are abusing alcohol at an unreportedly higher rate. The size of the issue has been acknowledged by the government and society at large, and experts have advocated for a strategy that will control alcohol sales and pricing. Many argue that even though this step is positive, it could not be sufficient to stop the negative impacts of the rise in alcohol consumption in society. Drinking-related issues have already become a significant public health concern in India as a result of the growing production, distribution, and advertising of alcohol.

According to the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), 2019–21, alcohol consumption is higher among men and women in rural India than in urban India. In general, only 1% of women who are 15 or older drink alcohol, as opposed to 19% of men in the same age group. For women, this is divided into 1.6 percent (rural) and 0.6 percent (urban), whereas for men, it is 19.9 percent and 16.5 percent, respectively. Of all the states, Arunachal Pradesh has the highest alcohol consumption rates for both males (53%) and women (24%). Sikkim (16%) is Arunachal Pradesh’s closest competitor among women, while Telangana is its closest competitor among males (43 percent).

 According to specialists, there has been a dramatic shift in the patterns and trends of alcohol consumption in India. The main one is that people are starting to drink at younger and younger ages. According to surveys conducted in the southern state of Kerala by the non-governmental organization Alcohol and Drugs Information Centre India, the proportion of the drinking population under 21 years old has climbed from 2% to more than 14% during the past 15 years (NGO). Alarmingly, the survey discovered that over the previous 20 years, the “average age of initiation” had decreased from 19 to 13 years. The centre notes that young Indians are being specifically targeted by a “strong foreign and domestic alcohol lobby.” Flavored alcoholic beverages have been produced by the local industry to draw in young men and women who didn’t drink before. With its enormous untapped markets, multinational corporations have selected India as one of the most sought-after locations for investment.

 Nowadays, energetic groups of young people having fun are seen in many alcohol advertisements. Surrogate advertising is common despite the fact that alcohol advertising is prohibited in print and electronic media. The government response to India’s issue continues to place more emphasis on providing immediate assistance than on prevention. Due to this circumstance, the official policy only focuses on the 4% of adult males who misuse alcohol, ignoring the 20% of the population who are “in danger” of significant alcohol abuse. Health workers trying to combat alcoholism face a highly challenging situation as a result of the lack of a national alcohol policy.

The government should seek for ways to toughen existing rules and enact new, more effective ones to combat drug usage. For those who have never used drugs, it is also necessary to look into drug prevention. Since prevention is always preferable to treatment, it is crucial that the government and an increasing number of NGOs conduct substance addiction awareness campaigns. People ought to be aware of the web of addiction and the strategies to stop it. That will be the beginning of the root-level fight against narcotics. More rehabilitation facilities should be built with the help of the public, and patients’ privacy should always be maintained there. The patients must have the impression that everyone is on their side in the fight against drug abuse. We must all strive together to create a better society that is free from drug misuse. In order for our current and future generations to be able to live healthier and safer lives, the government, NGOs, schools, and the general public should work to develop a society that is resistant to drugs.