Save youth from drug menace

By conservative estimates, around 100,000 Lankans, a large number of them teenagers and people under the age of 25, are addicted to the use of illegal drugs. Schoolchildren are among those who have fallen prey as a result of easy accessibility to illegal substances such as ice (crystal methamphetamine), cannabis and heroin. The highest number of drug-related arrests have been in the Colombo district followed by Gampaha, but substance abuse among the youth is on the increase countrywide.

Not only has the growing illicit drug trade in the country led to the wide use of such substances, this has also seen an increase in gun violence. In the first six months of the year there have been more than 60 shootings with at least 36 deaths, majority of these related to organised crimes and the drug trade.

The death of a man in Kudawella, Tangalle who was shot dead last week has been linked to a Sri Lankan drug dealer living in Dubai. The killing was on a contract given to an ex-naval rating who was arrested by the Police shortly after the incident. Police found 5 grams of heroin from the suspect’s vehicle.

While the serious crimes make the headlines, the faces of those who have fallen victim to substance abuse are rarely highlighted with schoolchildren being among the most vulnerable. The exposure of schoolchildren to unscrupulous agents of drug dealers who lurk near schools waiting to entice students to experiment with addictive substances is a real threat.

Last year the Police Special Task Force arrested a man near a school in Talawakelle selling ‘mawa’, an intoxicating chewable tobacco product banned by the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol, while a stock of 400 prescription medication pregabalin pills were confiscated in Vavuniya also by the STF. These are just two instances, but this is a growing danger countrywide that is putting lives of youth at risk and leading to a high school dropout rate and pushing juveniles toward crimes. Stories of drug-related petty crimes are a daily occurrence while serious crimes by those under the influence of drugs too are becoming regular.

Some of the students arrested for drug-related offences are as young as 15 but there could be younger children who have fallen prey to drugs.

The Education Ministry steps in from time to time with drug prevention programs but such ad hoc programs are unlikely to prevent the spread of drug use.

Those behind the drug trade or the big fish often get away and it is their agents who operate on the street as well as users of illicit drugs who get arrested. Given that most caught with even small quantities of drugs are often jailed, there are many instances that within the walls of the prison, they get recruited to be a part of the drug trade and hence end up being hardened drug users themselves while also selling drugs. In a country beset with economic problems, the easy money is an attractive incentive to resort to illegal means, especially for youth coming from economically backward families.

Given the grave danger which illicit substances pose to the youth of this country, the Government must pay more heed to tackle this problem. While prevention of use is the primary task, rehabilitation of addicts is an important aspect to save the lives of the youth of this country from ruination due to drug use.

While the STF has stepped in and carried out some commendable work in bringing some of the bigwigs engaged in the drug trade to book, a lot more needs to be done to minimise easy access to drugs. It is not a battle Sri Lanka can win alone. Given the recent crimes which expose the nexus between locals engaged in the drug trade and their acolytes in Dubai, the law encouragement authorities have a lot more on their hands to crack down on these drug rings and save future generations from the drug menace.