Drug abuse soars as bars stay shut in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: With the new LDF government ruling out  reopening of the closed bars, there is  need for stricter enforcement against the escalating drug abuse, which has been one of the adverse effects  of the UDF's liquor policy.

There has been a three-fold increase in cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in the state after the closure of 750-odd liquor bars.  As per the state police data, the number of cases registered under NDPS Act till 2013 was only below 1000, the highest number  of 974 being in 2013. But the next two years witnessed a steep increase in the cases:  2,239 in 2014 and 4,105 in 2015.

The number of cases registered under the Abkari Act for offences like sale of illicit liquor also witnessed an increase in the last couple of years. The number went up from 48,828  in 2013 to 51,989 in 2014 and 58,240 in 2015. Even the international drug racket had been making inroads into the state taking advantage of the closure of the bars and they are targeting mainly the youths from middle class families.

Even foreign nationals involved in trafficking were held. A well-organised network for drug trafficking also seems to be in place and hence the enforcement agencies often fail to trace the source of ganja seized in the state.  Recently,  the state even witnessed major seizures of various types of banned drugs.

According to police and excise officials, most of the youths held for substance abuse had admitted that they opted for drug abuse as an alternative to liquor. “With the closure of bars, those who tend to take hard liquor have no public facilities for consuming liquor. Hence, they opt for drug as an alternative as it is easy to consume. The easy availability of the drugs these days has made things easier for them to get the kick,” said an excise official.

Massive smuggling of ganja was also taking place from other states under the cover of migrant workers. Owing to the  flow of migrants to the state, the police got limitations in enforcement.   “Migrants are involved in about 80 percent of the NDPS cases in the state these days,” said Alcohol and Drug Information Centre – India executive director Mr. Johnson Edayaranmula.

“The steep increase in the NDPS cases indicates that there has  been an increase in substance abuse cases. We are carrying out massive awareness among children and enforcement near educational institutions to counter this menace,” said DIG Intelligence P. Vijayan, who is also the nodal officer of Student Police Cadet programme.