India’s apex court has asked the government to conduct a national survey within four months in order to find the extent of drug abuse among children under the age of 18.
The Supreme Court also advised the government to formulate a comprehensive strategy to tackle the increasing drug usage among India’s children and teens, media reports said.
According to news agency ANI, the Supreme Court asked the Indian government to come up with a National Drug Action Plan. The court also asked the government to consider sensitizing the youth under the age of 18 on adverse effects of drugs.
Youth are seen as important to the future economic growth of India, which is one of the youngest countries on the planet. Around 472 million people in India, bigger than US population’s size, were under the age of 18 in 2011, which makes tackling drug abuse among youth ever more important for authorities.
The SC advisory can be seen part of a recent push in Indian society to deal with the challenge of drug menace head on.
A recent countrywide campaign by Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN), a government body in charge of controlling the production of drugs in India, in India’s schools and colleges informed the youth on adverse affects of drug usage.
