more-in Concerned over the sharp rise in drug abuse cases among school-going children in Ernakulam, the Excise Department has now begun reaching out to their parents and teachers directly. The department is organising discussion forums for parents and teachers in all government and aided schools in Ernakulam to help them have a guided understanding about their children. “The discussions, in the form of special PTA meetings, generally revolve around topics ranging from changing behaviour of children to operation of drug distribution rackets. This is crucial in creating awareness among parents,” said K.A. Nelson, Deputy Commissioner of Excise, Ernakulam. Special squads In view of the school reopening, special squads in plainclothes have also been formed to maintain tight vigil on the premises of schools vulnerable to drug trade. Further, plans are also afoot to establish a de-addiction and counselling centre for schoolchildren at the Excise complex here by using the funds allocated under the Vimukti programme. Ganja is by far the most popular illegal drug among youths while there has been a drastic change in the pattern of consumption from natural psychotropic substances to chemical compounds, as is evident from recent cases. The department has been registering an average of 75 drug peddling cases every month, most of them involving teenagers, for the past several months. The estimates available with the State police, which registered over 1,200 cases under the NDPS Act in the first four months of 2018, also pointed to a similar trend. “The numbers would have been much higher had we registered cases against the huge number of minors caught for the same offence. These first-time offenders are mostly let off with their parents after subjecting them to a counselling session,” the official said. Anti-narcotics officials have noticed a recent increase in the number of youngsters, especially college students, visiting hotbeds of party drugs such as Goa and Bengaluru. The youngsters, who visit these places to purchase drugs, mostly for just one occasion, get linked up with rackets and soon become their carriers to make easy money.

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