Concerned agencies, community heads need to deal with drug menace with iron hand: HC

Srinagar: The High Court of J&K and Ladakh Thursday observed that for overcoming the drug abuse, the concerned agencies hand-in-hand with the community heads were required to come forward and deal with menace with iron hand to save the society, more particularly the young generation and families.

A bench of Justice M A Chowdhary made the observation while dismissing a plea as “devoid of merit” of Tawqeer Bashir Magray of Nowshera Boniyar, Baramulla.

In the plea filed through his wife, Magray had challenged the detention order dated March 4, 2023, passed by the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, against him by virtue of which he was ordered to be detained under Section 3 of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act, 1988.

The case set up by Magray was that the detaining authority had not followed the constitutional and statutory procedural safeguards while passing the detention order.

Disapproving of the drug menace, the court said: “The menace of illicit drug activities is a social problem that harms youth and their families, and the money it generates is diverted for disruptive activities that have bearings on national security.” 

Underscoring that prevention of drug abuse among adolescents requires awareness about its destructive results, the court said: "The abuse of alcohol and drugs has resulted in significant morbidity and mortality among adolescents worldwide.”

While the court noted that many of these youth lose their lives to drugs and narcotics and a significant number are likely to grow up to become drug addicts, it said no part of the world was free from the curse of drug addiction.

“Drug abuse has emerged as a serious concern globally, adversely affecting the physical and socio-economic well-being of the country. It has severe repercussions on public health across various sections of the society,” it said. “The epidemic of drug abuse in the younger generation has assumed alarming dimensions in the country.”

The court made these observations while coming to the conclusion that it was clear that the detainee was involved in illicit drug activities.

“The detainee did not shun the path of his nefarious and anti-social activities and continues to spoil the life and career of the young generation making them the addicts of these drugs,” it said.