Arunachal Pradesh among top four states in substance abuse: Minister
The unchecked spread of addiction among the young population could potentially result in the extinction of the communities, the minister added quoting the NCB report.
ITANAGAR- Arunachal Pradesh is placed among the top four states in the country for all categories of substance abuse, the assembly was informed on Tuesday.
Responding to a question by senior BJP member Wanglin Lowangdong, Health & Family Welfare Minister Biyuram Wahge said that according to a survey, the magnitude of substance use in the northeastern state is alarming’, a PTI report said.
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The survey examined the extent and pattern of use of eight categories of psychoactive substances – alcohol, cannabis, opioids, cocaine, amphetamine stimulants, sedatives, inhalants and hallucinogens – and found that Arunachal Pradesh is among the top four states in India, the minister said.
He added that opium cultivation has been in practice among several tribes of the state for centuries while poppy cultivation and opium consumption have been deeply ingrained in the socio-economic and cultural life of the people in the eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh.
A report by the Central Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) warns of large-scale commercial cultivation of poppy in the state. The report emphasised the urgent need for intervention to prevent adverse impact on national security, and the health and survival of various tribes inhabiting remote and inaccessible areas of the state, Wahge said.
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The unchecked spread of addiction among the young population could potentially result in the extinction of the communities, the minister added quoting the NCB report.
He said that in response to the challenges, the state cabinet had approved the policy on psychoactive substances 2021 which aimed at, inter alia, eradicating the use of psychoactive substances in the community, emphasising the need for primary prevention programmes and forming guidelines for regulating all demands.
