A half-marathon against substance abuse

KOCHI: Officials with the excise department said that they were planning to extend campaigns and programmes, including marathons, to spread awareness against substance and drug abuse in tourism destinations like Fort Kochi.
The decision was taken at a meeting convened by district collector K Mohammed Y Safirulla and excise commissioner Rishi Raj Singh on Friday to discuss the details regarding the half-marathon titled ‘Cochin Monsoon Marathon’.
The half-marathon (20km) will be held from Maharaja’s College Ground to Fort Kochi on July 15. The logo for the marathon was released on Friday.
Speaking at the meeting, Singh said that tourism destinations like Fort Kochi were becoming a favourite hub for drugs and narcotic-related activities. He said that the marathon was open to all.The excise department held discussions with the district administration and other stakeholders to ensure participation of disabled people.
“We are conducting the half-marathon to create more awareness regarding drug abuse among people in all walks of life, especially among school and college students as well as tourists,” said an excise department official.
The official added that school authorities, especially parents and teachers’ associations, should set up monitoring committees in schools to put an end to the sale of drugs near school premises.
“Deploying excise squad on school and college premises alone will not curb the menace. Instead, we need a collective effort from the part of parents, teachers, social justice department and non-governmental organizations,” said K A Nelson, deputy excise commissioner, Ernakulam.