The Janamaithri police in association with various voluntary organisations launched an eight-day awareness campaign in the district on Friday to sensitise students to the issue of drug abuse.
Marking the formal launch at the Town Hall here, officials representing the Police and Excise Departments shared some of their experiences of handling drug addicts and de-addiction programmes.
Deputy Commissioner D. Sali, who inaugurated the campaign, said the massive awareness campaigns undertaken by the police and other organisations had helped control the menace of drug peddlers. “It has also helped students become aware of the threats around them,” he added.
Excise Deputy Commissioner P. K. Suresh, who introduced the topic for discussion narrating the trickeries adopted by drug peddlers, said sometimes students fell prey to addictive drugs supplied to them in the form of energy boosters and beauty enhancers. “Even accidental consumption of such items can lead to lifelong addiction and severe damage to health,” he said.
Experts from the Health department handled the special awareness sessions on the impact of drugs on the human body. Around 500 students from various educational institutions attended the programme.
