Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Sunday urged the judiciary to decide the cases of master minds of drug business expeditiously and on priority basis so that it could be a lesson for others involved in drug business.
Expressing concern over the raising drug abuse, the Chief Minister said that drugs which are corroding the foundation of our society, particularly the youth, contributes to higher rates of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual violence and needs to be curbed stringently.
Speaking on the occasion of International Drugs Day, on the theme, ‘Drug Free Himachal’ organised at the historic Ridge here, he also urged to the NGOs and other organisations to come out openly against the drug peddlers and sensitise the society and imbibe the values amongst the children so as to make them aware of the fatal effects of drugs.
Virbhadra Singh stressed the need to meet the challenges posed by illicit drug trafficking in the country.
“Illicit drug business attracts criminal organisations because of the huge potential profits” he said, adding that online pharmacies indulging in illicit sale of pharmaceutical drugs is a major problem and needs to be countered effectively.
The Chief Minister said that the drug control strategies are generally aimed at achieving a balance between supply reduction and demand reduction of drugs, and without demand reduction, there will only be a shift towards other drugs or substances of abuse.
Promoting cultivation of other cash crops and construction of roads in the interior areas of the state would also help checking the cultivation of narcotics, said he.
Virbhadra Singh said that Government is committed to stamping out drug menace and termed Inter-agency coordination most essential prerequisite for reduction in the supply of drugs.
He said that the drug racket seemed to be well organized and the law enforcement agencies need to curb the inter-state drug trafficking.
He also stressed the need for adopting holistic approach with the support of the society to root out the drug abuse from the society to a large extent and hinted to incorporate the drug syllabus in schools to create awareness amongst the students so that they could be sensitised at very young stage.