Teens Increasingly Falling Into Drug Trap

The Excise sleuths recently recovered many substances, including ganja, rolling machine, rolling papers, thinners, whiteners and tablets while conducting raids in many schools in the city as per the complaints they received through the complaint boxes set up in educational institutions

KOZHIKODE: School students in the city are increasingly getting addicted to drugs and psychotropic substances and they seem to be trying out novel methods in using them.

Recently, the Excise sleuths recovered many substances, including ganja, rolling machine, rolling papers, thinners, whiteners and tablets while conducting raids in many schools in the city as per the complaints they received through the complaint boxes set up in educational institutions under the Clean Campus Safe Campus programme, which was launched in August 2014.

Thirty-five students from high school to engineering classes were found to be using drugs. Shockingly, girl students were also found to be using psychotropic substances.

The officials seized ganja rolling machines, OCB rolling papers, which are not available in the open market, and mini hookahs, which are used for group smoking, from the students. With the rolling machine one can easily make a ganja roll in seconds, while OCB rolling papers, which can be ordered online, are used for rolling the drugs. Interestingly, a rolling machine was presented to a student as a birthday gift by one of his friends in Bangalore.

Kozhikode Excise Range Inspector M K Gireesh says, “Ganja is being widely used by students. We were shocked to see the methods being adopted by students in using drugs. Even girl students inhale adhesives, thinners and whiteners and these are common initial substances of abuse. These products are not illegal, but act as gateway substances for drug abuse.” 

A chewing gum, which contains nicotine, is being widely used among students. Though the product,  manufactured by a giant tobacco brand, is an option to quit smoking, it creates new drug users as it contains 2 mg of nicotine. Even girl students use this. The product is easily available everywhere, though there is a directive that it should be sold only as per the prescription of a doctor. Psychotropic tablet is another favourite item of students.

Absence of odour and other signs after consumption also attracts many youngsters to these substances. Clearine, an eye drop used as medicine for infection, is widely being used after smoking ganja to change the reddish colour of the eyes.

The Kozhikode Excise Range has registered eight cases under the NDPS Act. The shadow squad of the department nabbed nine persons, including drug peddlers, recently for using and selling harmful substances in the vicinity of school campuses. Five vehicles and 3.900 kg of ganja were also seized.

The figures available with the city police show that narcotic cases were up in 2014. Two hundred and twenty-two cases were registered  last year, against 166 in 2013. “Under the Clean Campus Safe Campus project, the police are taking effective steps to prevent drug abuse in the city. Residents associations and many other organisations are extending all support to the initiatives of the police,” says City Police Commissioner A V George.

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