The drug menace in J&K has reached an alarming and deeply disturbing stage. What was once perceived as a sporadic social problem has now evolved into a full-blown public health emergency, steadily tightening its grip on the youth of the Union Territory. The figures placed before the Assembly reveal a grim reality that can no longer be ignored or treated with routine administrative responses. A joint survey conducted in 2022 by the Health and Social Welfare Departments across ten districts of Kashmir indicated that nearly 70,000 individuals are involved in substance use. Even more frightening is the fact that around 50,000 of them are heroin users, largely consuming the drug through the intravenous route. More scarily, there is no data for the Jammu division. These statistics are not merely numbers; they represent shattered families, broken futures and a generation slipping into darkness. Intravenous heroin use significantly raises the risk of fatal overdoses and the spread of life-threatening infections such as HIV and hepatitis. The scale and pattern of addiction point to a crisis of extraordinary proportions.
Yet, despite the gravity of the situation, the response appears fragmented and inadequate. Drug smuggling continues unabated. Narcotics find their way into the Union Territory with disturbing ease. Border vigilance seems insufficient to curb the inflow, while local supply networks remain resilient. Law enforcement agencies do make arrests, but mostly of small-time peddlers. These individuals often secure bail and return to the same trade. The business of drugs is so lucrative that many youth are willing to take the risk. Without dismantling the larger syndicates and choking the financial arteries of this illicit economy, arrests alone will not yield meaningful results.
Equally concerning is the state of rehabilitation and treatment facilities. While addiction treatment facilities are functional in several districts, the Government has admitted that no consolidated assessment has yet been undertaken to evaluate the success rate of rehabilitation at de-addiction centres. This admission is startling. At a time when thousands are battling addiction, the absence of reliable data on recovery outcomes reflects a serious policy gap. How can strategies be refined or expanded without knowing how many patients have successfully overcome addiction? The lack of such data suggests that the problem, despite its magnitude, is not being addressed with the urgency it deserves.
Moreover, many centres suffer from an acute shortage of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and trained support staff. Addiction is not merely a behavioural lapse; it is a chronic mental health disorder requiring sustained medical supervision, psychological intervention and long-term follow-up. Once a person is addicted, treatment becomes complex and prolonged. Relapse is common without structured counselling and family support. The stigma attached to drug abuse further complicates recovery, as families often conceal the problem instead of seeking timely intervention.
The Government’s measures-installation of CCTV cameras, computerised billing at medical shops, awareness campaigns and training of teachers-are steps in the right direction. However, surveillance alone cannot defeat a deeply entrenched narcotics network. Unless stringent and exemplary action is taken against major drug peddlers and smugglers, the supply chain will remain intact. Half-hearted enforcement only emboldens those who profit from this destructive trade.
More disturbing is the expanding geographical spread of drug abuse. Reports of young lives lost to overdoses are becoming more frequent. Each death is a stark reminder that time is running out. The youth of Jammu and Kashmir are increasingly caught in a web of conflict. Drug abuse in J&K is no longer a peripheral social concern; it is a deep-rooted disease corroding the very foundation of society. The longer the delay in mounting a decisive and integrated response, the heavier the cost will be. A major operation is required to uproot the menace-relentless action against trafficking networks, expansion and proper staffing of rehabilitation centres, long-term psychiatric care, and community-based prevention strategies. The situation is indeed scary. With addiction penetrating every possible area and youth falling victim at an exponential rate, complacency is not an option. The Government must treat this as the most serious internal challenge confronting the UT today. The sooner decisive and comprehensive countermeasures are implemented, the better the chances of protecting the youth of J&K from irreversible damage.
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