Better Future for Drug Abuse Victims: Restorative Justice...by Aaftab Singh Ahluwalia
“The Youth will be finished”, said the Supreme Court while expressing concern over the burgeoning drug menace in Punjab. India’s unique location, sandwiched between two of the largest drug-producing regions of the world- the Golden Crescent (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran) on the West and Golden Triangle (Thailand, Myanmar, Laos) on the East, has made it a transit hub for drug trafficking. This illegal trade has led to drug abuse in the country and its adverse consequences are exacerbating over time.
As per a study conducted by PGI, Chandigarh every 7th person in Punjab is consuming some kind of drug, including alcohol. At the individual level, it can impact financial, mental, and physical health- e.g. job loss, depression, and HIV.
At the community level, a correlation has been observed between drug abuse and crimes in society. The threat can be observed in the loss of demographic dividend opportunity, unfavorable allocation of resources, and greater healthcare expenditure.This piece addresses the demand side of the drug menace, i.e. the story of victims of drug abuse. Victims can be classified into 3 categories.
Firstly, individuals who are undergoing the process of rehabilitation. Secondly, regular users of drugs who are struggling with addiction, who aren’t accessing rehab services. Thirdly, the potential victims-who have never consumed drugs or the ones who are consuming legal drugs in moderation.
Restructuring our rehabilitation programs is the need of the hour, which would not only make our rehab centers more accessible to the victims of drug abuse but also ensure that these victims can reintegrate into society as contributing members.
Current rehab programs focus on detoxification treatment. However, a victim needs a holistic long-term solution, which may include detoxification, mental health support, and skill development. While we have schemes for these but they often operate in silos, and their reach is limited due to a lack of awareness and limited accessibility.
This leads to gaps in service delivery and poor utilization of the existing resources. ‘CM Di Yogshala’ in Punjab, which offers free yoga classes can be integrated with rehab services. A specialized team- “Substance Abuse and Recovery Task Force” must be established to coordinate with different departments of the government or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) bodies that are offering solutions to these victims.
Furthermore, it’s imperative to ensure that the service providers e.g. employees of De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centres and OOAT clinics, are empowered and supported by the State, which would allow them to provide the best possible care for the drug abuse victims.
Regular brainstorming sessions with the employee associations’ will ensure that government can comprehend the pain points of the service providers. Demands like a requirement for more staff or better security infrastructure- security personnel, CCTV cameras, etc., must be fulfilled.
To deal with the second category- individuals struggling with drug abuse but not accessing rehab services, we need legislative reforms to pull the victims out of deep water. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, of 1985 criminalizes both- drug peddling and possession of “small quantities”. Instead of seeing the drug abusers as individuals who need help, the law sees them as offenders. This laser-like focus on retribution has not yielded the intended results in our society.
Instead, we should follow the “carrot and stick policy”. Stick for the peddlers- a policy of retributive justice, and the carrot for the victims- a policy of restorative justice. Lastly, root causes that drive individuals to engage in drug abuse, whether for recreational purposes or to cope with psychological stress, must be tackled.
We must transcend our typical “Say No to Drugs” campaigns. Social stigma about mental health must be addressed. The government’s 24*7 Kiran mental health helpline is a step in the right direction. Provisions of NEP 2020 dealing with mental health need to be implemented to ensure that the next generation is aware that counselors and not drugs are the right interventions for mental health issues.
To fill the lacuna in our social marketing initiatives around drug abuse, The Law of Focus- an Immutable Law of Marketing given by Al Ries and Jack Trout, must be leveraged to put an end to the romanticization of drugs. This law states that a campaign can become successful if it can find a way to own a word in the mind of the prospect. We can take a leaf from both sides of the abortion debate, which continues to focus on single, powerful words: pro-life and pro-choice.
Similarly, we must use our awareness campaigns to drill certain words instilling fear or a sense of opportunity loss in the minds of individuals. AI Ries and Jack Trout suggest that since drug usage causes all kinds of losses (of job, family, self-esteem), something as simple as “Drugs are for Losers” can have a powerful impact, especially on the recreational user.
Article 47 states that State shall take steps to prohibit the consumption of intoxicating drinks and drugs that are injurious to health. It is time that State prioritizes this DPSP and takes concerted action to come through for drug abuse victims.
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Aaftab Singh Ahluwalia, The author runs an NGO working for Education
waliagurinder10@gmail.com
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