The Supreme Court slammed the Punjab administration for rampant manufacturing and selling of illegal liquor in the state, stating that the state’s drug and alcohol problem is a major concern, ANI reported.
According to the apex court, the Punjab government is just registering FIRs and no further action is being done to curb the rampant drug abuse and smuggling.
“Punjab is a border state, if somebody wants to finish the country, they will start with the borders,” commented the Supreme Court while hearing the case.
It has also asked the Punjab government to list out specific steps take to curb the menace of illegal liquor manufacturing.
The scourge of drug usage in Punjab has reached epidemic proportions, shaking the state’s whole culture. It has been observed that “drug abuse” is a spreading pandemic in Punjab, particularly among the youth.
As per a 2017 report, the incidence of substance abuse within Punjab youth who were a part of the study, was 65.5 percent, with alcohol being the most often misused substance at 41.8 percent among all the other addictions.
Liquor is followed by cigarettes at 21.3 percent as one of the most consumed form of drugs in the state. While there was also a high frequency of heroin abusers at a concerning 20.8 percent.
Nonalcohol and nontobacco substance addiction was prevalent in 34.8 percent of the population. There was a substantial link between drug addiction and male gender, illiteracy, and those age above 30. Another notable finding was the high frequency of heroin and intravenous drug usage.
