Cops bank on awareness drive to curb drug menace

KOCHI: With drug abuse increasing among students in city and its neighbouring areas, city police and narcotic control bureau (NCB) have started an awareness drive against drug abuse for high school students in the city.
Police registered 185 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in Kochi from May to mid-July this year. Police said majority of those nabbed under the act were teenagers.
The initiative was is a bid to supplement the on-going drive by enforcement agencies against drug menace. "Ganja has been sold to students claiming that it would improve their memory power and boost concentration," said Venugopal G Kurup, superintendent of police, NCB.
NCB, which recently shifted its base from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi, has so far organized awareness programmes in schools in areas like Eloor and Kalamassery. "The programme covers not only students but also their parents. Parents are told to look for certain signs to know whether their child is using drugs," said Kurup.
The awareness programme includes video presentations and lectures by experts. It targets students of Class VIII and above.
"We have already conducted awareness programmes in 16 schools in the city, where student police cadet (SPC) exists. It has been receiving good response from students. The programme will cover remaining high schools in the coming days. Drug abuse can be checked only by creating awareness among children. Many have been using drugs to prove their manhood," said K S Baby Vinod, traffic west assistant commissioner, who is SPC nodal officer in the city.