JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has confirmed that over 25,000 individuals sought treatment for drug addiction in government health facilities across the erstwhile state in the past three years, underlining the scale of a crisis that lawmakers say is destroying youth, fuelling violence, and threatening the very fabric of society.
According to official data, a total of 25,400 patients were registered in Outpatient Departments (OPD) for drug-related issues between 2022 and 2024. Of these, 1,595 required admission to Inpatient Departments (IPD), indicating serious levels of dependency and mental health deterioration. The year-wise breakdown shows 9,775 OPD and 306 IPD cases in 2022; 8,700 OPD and 586 IPD in 2023; and 6,925 OPD and 703 IPD cases till early 2024.
The figures came in response to a question from legislators concerned about what they called an “alarming and growing menace” that is “destroying the youth, fuelling terrorism, and posing a grave societal threat.” The Health and Medical Education Department acknowledged the seriousness of the issue, describing it as a “very sensitive” problem that requires collective social, institutional, and legal action.
While the Health Department has focused on medical interventions, de-addiction centres, and awareness programmes, it emphasised that enforcement of stringent laws falls under the remit of the police and CID, which are entirely controlled by the Home Department. This, according to officials, includes preventive policing, surveillance, and crackdowns on drug trafficking networks operating across the region.
Lawmakers, however, expressed concern over the apparent disconnect between medical treatment and enforcement, urging for stronger inter-departmental coordination. “We cannot treat this only as a health crisis. It’s a security issue, a social issue, and a generational issue,” one member said during the discussion.
Educational institutions have also been brought into the conversation, with the Education Department acknowledging that the drug menace is penetrating schools and colleges. Officials stressed the “dire need to work collectively” and called for targeted counselling, awareness campaigns, and early intervention mechanisms in educational settings.
As the Union Territory struggles to cope with this crisis, civil society groups and mental health professionals are also calling for a shift from punitive to rehabilitative approaches, while still tightening control over cross-border smuggling and local peddling networks.
With nearly 700 inpatients already recorded in 2024 alone, the year is shaping up to be even grimmer unless a coordinated and comprehensive strategy is adopted, both for enforcement and rehabilitation.
