With drug abuse threatening to engulf more and more youngsters in the city, schools and colleges have decided to take on the rise in addiction by organising awareness programmes.
With drug abuse threatening to engulf more and more youngsters in the city, schools and colleges have decided to take on the rise in addiction by organising awareness programmes.
Mini Narayanan of the counselling cell at Arathi Shashikaran Shetty Junior College (ASSJC) said, "With growing accessibility of various substances, it was felt that there is a pressing need to educate and sensitise students about the dangers involved in substance abuse."
On Saturday, ASSJC had organised a session on the subject which was attended by more than 200 children from Stds 10, 11 and 12.
"As this is a crucial phase of their development, timely knowledge can help them take the right decisions and thereby stay away from this deadly vice. The workshop was based on the premise that prevention is better than cure. Empowering our students to make the right decision and help their friends do the same is very much a part of the educational experience," said Narayanan.
Cheap and easy availability of cannabis, especially in the vicinity of educational institutions, is leading to a drop in academic performance in children, say city psychiatrists who report an alarming number of cannabis addiction cases among schoolgoing children.
Dr Harish Shetty, psychiatrist at Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital, Powai, anchored the programme. "This is our 18th drug awareness blitzkrieg and the sole aim has been to deeply implant the thought, 'Drugs destroy', in the minds of the young. These activities help boys and girls stay off the nefarious and aggressive marketing of drug barons. Beating up peddlers is no answer, but busting labs and nabbing drugs in big quantities will help."
Agreeing to Dr Shetty, Dr Parul Tank, head of psychiatry department at Rajawadi Hospital, said that in the vulnerable 13-19 age group, curiosity can land a teen in trouble. "By organising such programmes, you make the child aware of the substances and its effects on a person. This will prevent them from experimenting. "
Rizvi College in Bandra is another city institute that had organised the drug awareness programme. Dr M Z Farooqui, principal of Rizvi college, said, "We constantly create awareness among students to have a drug-free campus. Such programmes are the need of an hour. "
Vidyanidhi junior college principal Priyanka Rajani also arranged a workshop on drugs menace for her students.
The Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai police has adopted five city colleges for a period of seven months for its 'Drug Free Campus' campaign. The initiative comes in the wake of the increasing use of dangerous drugs like mephedrone (Meow Meow) by youngsters. The institutions adopted are: Bhavans College, Girgaon; St Andrews College, Bandra; Lala Lajpat Rai College, Worli; Narayan Guru College, Chembur and Atharva College, Malad.
According to officials, the colleges were selected based on their locations — how vulnerable they are to activities like drug peddling and consumption on their premises.
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