KOCHI: The High Court on Wednesday directed the State Police Chief to introduce a special scheme to ensure the premises of educational institutions and universities are drug-free. The DGP should initiate steps to conduct anti-drug programmes at institutions and conduct awareness campaigns using social media, HC said."The scale of drug abuse in Kerala is unacceptably high. The major problem faced by law-enforcing officials is their inability to plug supply channels that bring the drug contraband into the state.
The recent trends in drug transitways are seemingly innocuous, such as through courier consignments and speed post parcels. It is almost impossible to screen the sheer quantity of parcels and couriers shipped across the state, without specific intelligence on suspicious packages," the court observed.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice AM Shaffique issued the order on a suo motu case initiated after retired IPS officer N Ramachandran sent a letter highlighting the increase in drug abuse cases and related crimes. The bench issued a directive to establish campus police units as law enforcement agencies are not conducting regular checking inside educational institutions.
HC: Students unaware of legal fallout of drug use
“Measures shall also be taken to make it easier for the police and excise personnel to enforce the NDPS Act, 1985, in educational institutions,” HC said. The bench ordered the police chief to seek the services of student police cadets, NCC, NSS and other similar organisations to tide over the situation where students remain unaware of the legal repercussions of the use and trafficking of drugs, and the health and career hazards arising from the use of drugs.
The court also directed to establish counselling and rehabilitation mechanisms to save students who are using drugs.“For that purpose, the cooperation of university authorities, affected students and their parents are elicited,” the court said.The report of the Special Branch regarding drug abuse in educational institutions reveals that there has been a significant increase in the number of drug abuse cases in the state. Around 400 institutions are affected by drug abuse, with 74.12 per cent being schools.
Colleges professional institutions make up 20.89 per cent, and ITI and Polytechnics 4.97 per cent. The report also reveals that a range of drugs, from ganja and hashish to synthetic drugs, is used by the student community. In most cases detected on college campuses, the seizure is below 1 kg of ganja, which is bailable, and this encourages a person to engage in drug abuse. Apart from narcotic and synthetic drugs, inhaling of noxious chemicals like whitener, ink, fevicol and varnish is prevalent among students, which could damage their organs permanently, the report stated.
Excerpts from court order
The highest number of cases are from T'Ppuram and Ernakulam districts
Mattanchery, in West Kochi, is a hub of drug abuse, thanks to the high tourist flow