Drug Abuse Scourge

The struggle of Nepal against narcotics is becoming more serious due to the expansion of trafficking groups and the spread of drug abuse among youngsters. Nepal's wide-open borders with India have made the smuggling of drugs a common phenomenon leading to the abuse of such substances and the proliferation of HIV among drug users. The rise in drug abuse cases can be attributed to the lack of adequate intervention programmes designed to curb it. Drug abuse is also linked to human trafficking. As per a news report published in this daily on Saturday, in the last fiscal year a total value of about Rs. 857.75 million, comprising 23.141 kg of brown heroin, 13.347 kg of cocaine and more than 541,000 Tramadol capsules, was confiscated by police. It becomes apparent from these statistics that tough law enforcement measures, close border coordination and increased public consciousness are needed to stop the growing drug menace.