On May 30, at a function, at Kochi, Kerala State Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh exclaimed, “The second highest drug abuse cases in India has been reported from Kochi after Amritsar.” The news is gloomy. The drug users are as young as nine-year-olds. Most of them stay in high-risk areas where drug-taking is rampant. “Children will end up being mules (drug carriers), or they will use it or get affected by it. Maybe, somebody in the family is already an addict,” explains Diana Joseph, the founder-director of Kochi-based NGO Venda (Say No To Drugs), that works on drug counselling because of widespread addiction.
The drugs which are consumed include heroin, marijuana, hashish, crack and cocaine. When asked how children get access to it, Diana says, “You can buy it online if you can get access to certain shadowy groups on Facebook and WhatsApp. Many small shops, like bakery outlets and photocopy shops, near schools sell it. Apart from them, it seems like organised crime is pushing these drugs in towns and cities all over Kerala.”
Not surprisingly, many teenagers from financially strained families are lured to become mules. As for the reasons for youngsters taking to drugs, Diana says, “Peer pressure. Exam stress. Broken families. Emotional problems. Failed affairs.” Hence, Venda has embarked on a ‘Prevention Is Better Than A Cure’ programme. They go to schools and colleges, and talk about the dangers of drugs and how lives get ruined due to addiction. “Awareness makes a difference. We also do counselling for parents as well as teachers. Many of them are in a state of denial. They find it difficult to accept that their child or student is taking drugs,” she says. Last year the NGO dealt with 221 cases of 62 percent became addiction-free, 11 percent need long-term help and 28 percent are on continued counselling and fellowship while a mere nine are no-hope cases.
Besides the successful numbers, Venda has also been recognised internationally for its work. Diana was invited to present Venda’s work at the 61st Congressional on Narcotics and Drugs at the United Nations in November 2018. Venda was also featured as a Best Practice Case in the guide for civil societies at the Ministerial Segment of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in March this year. “We are happy to make a difference, however small it may be,” says Diana.