Meghalaya Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh has said over 7 per cent of the population of the state were drug addicts. Addressing reporters in state capital Shillong, Lyngdoh revealed that of the total 35 lakh population in Meghalaya, over 2.5 lakh of them were drug addicts.
Among the 2.5 lakh drug addicts, 30,000 of them are women, Lyngdoh said citing official records.
"In a state with a population of 35 lakh, if 2.5 lakh are drug addicts, the situation is rather grim," Lyngdoh told media persons. The minister said a majority of them inject narcotic substances like heroin and brown sugar.
He further revealed that the Meghalaya government had identified 12 to 15 localities in Shillong where the use of narcotics and injections was "very high". He said these were linked to a rise in cases of HIV too.
"What is more dangerous among these drug users is that a group of them use a common needle while injecting the substance, which poses a serious threat of the spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which directly attacks the body's immune system, and if left untreated, it can lead to life threatening disease like AIDS and Hepatitis C," Lyngdoh further said.
Hepatitis C is a viral infection that causes liver inflammation and in severe case may lead to liver damage.
The minister stressed the immediate need of awareness among the masses through the civil society to curb the growing menace of drug addiction, especially among the youths.
Lyngdoh said drug addiction had become a much bigger threat for the people of Meghalaya than alcoholism.
"We are sitting on the top of a volcano and it is high time for the civil societies and religious institutions of the state to step in and save the people of the state by creating awareness among them," Lyngdoh said.
Lyngdoh further said that he had asked Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar to set up state-run rehabilitation facilities in Meghalaya.
"The state government will need a lot of support from the Centre to set up these rehabilitation facilities, so we are initially planning to set up four such rehabilitation centers," Lyngdoh said.
"I have sought a collective effort and cooperation from various departments to curb the drug menace. Moreover, the police and health departments are an important component in addressing this issue and thus, their role in tackling the problem is utmost important," he further said.
He said ever since the new government took over in March this year, the crackdown on drug traffickers and peddlers had increased drastically. Lyngdoh said daily raids were being carried out in his constituency.
Lyngdoh said the Meghalaya government would enact more stringent laws so that drug traffickers fail to get bail easily after being booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.