Opinion Express View on Kashmir drug crisis: Connect the dots

An investigation by this newspaper has revealed that a devastating epidemic of drug addiction, mostly affecting young men, is sweeping across Kashmir, wreaking havoc on individuals and families, stretching the state’s public health system and posing a new challenge to the security forces. The figures are telling: Last year, one patient walked into the Valley’s largest de-addiction centre at SMHS Hospital Srinagar every 12 minutes. Police records show that the seizure of heroin — the most consumed drug in Kashmir — has more than doubled in 2022 compared to 2019. Sixty per cent more people were arrested for drug-related crimes last year compared to 2019. Breaking networks of drug cartels is imperative. However, punitive measures alone cannot uproot this problem. Substance abuse, universally, has been recognised as a manifestation of distortions in sociocultural, economic and political systems. The J&K administration would do well to take cues offered by its own study in collaboration with the Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences Kashmir — 25 per cent of the drug users are unemployed, 15 per cent are graduates, 14 per cent have studied up to the intermediate level and 33 per cent have matric level education. A growing corpus of work also shows that the myriad disruptions and the absence of recreational avenues in conflict zones leave psychological scars on people, especially the youth. In other words, a key part of the preventive measures should involve joining the dots — between unemployment, financial difficulties and an ecosystem rife with political uncertainty on one hand and the addictive behaviour of young people on the other.

Narcotic smugglers often find their way into Kashmir via Punjab, a state where the scourge of drugs has been extracting a high social cost for many years. With farming becoming less profitable in Punjab, the absence of initiatives and support structures to help the youth equip themselves with skills and opportunities has worsened the situation. Last year, a study by the Chandigarh-based Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) revealed that one in seven persons in Punjab is dependent on addictive substances. The J&K administration must heed the lessons from the crisis in the once-prosperous state. It must invest in enhancing the economic — and recreational — opportunities for youngsters. It would also do well to engage civil society players in its endeavours. J&K could take a leaf out of the PGIMER study’s recommendations for Punjab — build the capacity of teachers, health inspectors and block-level officials for prevention activities and rope in religious leaders to advocate a “tandrust atey nasha mukt Punjab (healthy and drug-free state)”.

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Investigations have revealed that the drug cartels are part of a narco-terror network with links to Pakistan and West Asia. This adds a new dimension to Kashmir’s security challenge. The crisis is also a governance test for J&K, especially at a time when it has no elected assembly. If the people and civil society have to play a significant role in thwarting the designs of the drug cartels, they should be empowered through vibrant political processes. The region needs a healing touch. This should be undertaken at multiple levels — public health, economy and politics.