State of Tamil Nadu vs ganja

State of Tamil Nadu vs ganja

If public awareness campaigns are indicators of messaging going hand-in-hand with policing, August 11, 2022, was a significant day in the Tamil Nadu police’s battle against ganja. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin administered a pledge against drug abuse to 74 lakh students simultaneously in educational institutions across the State. It is well known that killing demand is the best way to choke off supply.

The event was organised as part of ‘Enakku Vendaam’ (I don’t need it), a mass awareness programme organised by the Enforcement Bureau of the Tamil Nadu police, to sensitise youth to the dangers of drug abuse.

This massive awareness programme, involving students who are considered the most vulnerable to drug abuse, was followed up with the creation of 14,000 anti-drug clubs in schools/colleges. Thousands of students who became members of these clubs are involved in a variety of literary, cultural and other activities to sensitise members of the public to the dangers of drugs.

Notably, the police have taken a holistic approach, with the Enforcement Bureau involving the Health, Revenue, Sports and Youth Development and Social Welfare Departments in the mission to eradicate drugs and pave the way for Tamil Nadu to emerge as a drug-free State. This was recognised as one of the best practices by the Narcotics Control Bureau at the national level, says Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, Additional Director-General of Police, Crime.

Embarking on a three-pronged strategy — Control supply, Curtail demand and Harm reduction — the Enforcement Bureau went on to conduct awareness programmes at 7,000 traffic junctions on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26 this year.

“As part of the anti-drug club activities, we engage counsellors to educate the students at regular intervals on the dangers of abuse. While this reduces the demand, stringent measures are taken to control the supply. Thousands of habitual ganja sellers have been arrested in the last two years and many have been detained under the Goondas Act,” Mr. Aggarwal says. The Drive Against Drugs (DAD) is being reviewed every month.

Ganja has been the most prevalent addictive drug used in Tamil Nadu. However, thanks to the sustained efforts of law-enforcement agencies, the State is reportedly maintaining zero cultivation in the last five years.