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LOK SABHA
The Government of India in collaboration with the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime have conducted a National Survey on Extent, Pattern and Trends of Drug Abuse in India. The age group of the sample in this survey was between 12-60 years and it was found that 3.0% were Cannabis users and 0.1% were Opiates.
Students at the Secondary/Higher Secondary level are vulnerable to slipping into drug abusing behaviour due to stress factors, peer influence, hormonal changes etc. It is felt that educating them on the ill effects of drug abuse, through appropriate inputs in the school curricula, can help reduce the numbers succumbing to this vice. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment as the nodal Ministry for prevention of alcoholism and substance abuse is in dialogue with the Ministry of Human Resource Development for including these inputs in the school curriculum. The Ministry also funds voluntary organisations that are running awareness programmes in the area of drug abuse prevention. These organisations cover schools and colleges under their outreach programmes. Besides, as a measure of checking the peddling of the drugs to students the sale of such substances in the vicinity of any school/educational institution attracts higher than the minimum punishment for such offences.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Smt. Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan in a written reply the Lok Sabha today.
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