MANGALDAI, June 27 - The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was organised on Monday at different levels in undivided Darrang district.
Darrang Police observed the Day at the Kharupetia Police Station premises where a public awareness meeting was held. The meeting attended by people from different walks of life in the society including leading citizens, parents and guardians, youths, women etc., was addressed by several speakers including the Superintendent of Police, Darrang, Sreejith Thiraviam and ASP (HQ), Darrang, Suman Chakraborty among others. The Superintendent of Police while highlighting the alarming rise of drug abuse and illicit trafficking among the younger generation, urged the conscious citizens of the society to join hands with the police in curbing the threat posed by it to the future society. Earlier Chandan Goswami , Officer in Charge of Kharupetia Police outlined the objectives of the observing the Day. The meeting was followed by an awareness rally throughout the town.
The Darrang district chapter of the National Health Mission, organised a meeting at the auditorium of the GNM Training School. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Nirmal Ch Beria, SDM & HO, Mangaldai gave a brief account of the serious effects of drug abuse in the society. In this regard, he pointed out that about one in every nine youths or 11.4 per cent of young people in the age group of 12 to 25 used prescription drugs non-medically within the last one year. Most unfortunately 25 per cent of those who began abusing prescription drugs at the age of 13 or younger met the clinical criteria for addiction sometime in their lives, the speaker added. Dr Jonali Choudhury, SDM & HO, Jaljali, Dr Malbika Gogoi, Senior Medical Officer, Sabana Choudhury, DPM, Darrang also spoke on the occasion.
