Joint efforts stressed to fight drug abuse, illicit trafficking

LAHORE : CCPO Lahore, Additional IG Ghulam Mahmood Dogar has stressed joint efforts to tackle world drug problem and combat misinformation by sharing real facts on drugs — from health risks and solutions to world drug problem, to evidence-based prevention, treatment, and care.

He was addressing the participants of annual award distribution ceremony held here on Saturday on International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2021 organised by Drug Advisory Training Hub. Commissioner Muhammad Usman, Chairman Women Development Task Force Punjab Tanzeela Imran Khan, Director, DATH, Syed Zulfiqar Hussain, social worker Shahid Qadir, office-bearers of traders’ associations, industrialists, medical experts and people from different walks of life attended the ceremony.

The CCPO urged the participants, “Together, we can tackle drug crisis and eliminate menace. Drugs are a lethal danger for destruction of society as youth even from educated families are becoming victim of drugs. It is a dire need to realise the seriousness of the matter and do coordinated efforts to tackle the situation. We have to focus on four major elements including supply and demand of drugs, strong prosecution of cases and most importantly rehabilitation of addicts to tackle problem. Police have actively initiated vigorous crackdown on narcotics dealers to cut supply line of drugs, arresting around five thousand drug sellers and recovered 30 per cent more drugs this years in comparison to the last year. Police recovered more than 2.25 tons of chars, 43 kgs of heroin, 10 kgs of ICE and more than 55 thousands bottles of liquor during this year. Police arranged different meetings with sessions judges and district prosecutors to ensure proper preparation and finalisation of cases against arrested drug dealers and their due convictions from the relevant courts. Rehabilitation of drug addicts was very important.” Commissioner M Usman in his address said drug addicts need immediate medical, mental, social and economical rehabilitation.

Our society lacks a sound system on government level to treat and rehabilitate such victims of drugs and the time has come to realise this fact in wholesome way to seriously sort out a permanent solution of this issue. The district administration has been planning to make a special task force to handle the situation with short term and long term programmes in this regard in collaboration with police and other related departments including representatives from society, the district government will make a separate institution which will register such addicts, rehabilitate them after their proper medical and mental treatment under one roof.” Shields were awarded in the ceremony to the citizens and government officers who performed well in rehabilitation of drug addicts.

'Share Drug Facts to Save Lives' was the theme of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking’ this year. The focus this year is to curb the spread of misinformation on the topic and encourage the exchange of facts related to drugs.