Jharkhand News: Palamu launches anti-drug drive, but mental health support missing

THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK

Daltonganj, June 11: Palamu Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sameera S, on Tuesday, flagged off the awareness campaign trail against the use/ abuse of drugs.

District Public Relations Officer Dr Asim Kumar accompanied the DC in the flag-off ceremony.

The state health department has embarked upon a 17-day-long campaign trail against the drugs beginning June 10.

Mental Health Unit Overlooked in Campaign

There is no reason to doubt the intention of the state health department in raising awareness against the menace and abuse of drugs. However, what is most conspicuous is the absence of health personnel like a mental health doctor, nurse, etc in such a campaign.

There is a mental health unit in the MMCH Daltonganj. A visit to this mental health unit will tell anyone how serious the problem of the drug menace is. It’s rising and rising.

Cases of depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder etc are some of the mental illnesses triggered by opioids, better say abuse of drugs.

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Palamu’s Opioid Crisis

Palamu is infamous for opioid abuse. There is not a single month here when new victims of drug abuse don’t come to this mental health unit.

Senior government officials inspect MMCH and hog the limelight. These officials hop from one ward to another. But do any of them ever visit the mental health unit? The answer is no.

WHO has World Mental Health Day every 10th October. WHO has given the theme for the 2025 World Mental Health Day. It’s ”Community”.

No drug menace can be fought without community support. Unfortunately community is kept aloof from the campaign.

This 17-day-long campaign trail against the drug has very little space for the community to involve itself, except for some episodes of the Choupal, which is to be organised.

Law Enforcement Efforts and Community Voices

Police do arrest drug peddlers and seize 5 grams to 60 grams of heroin and brown sugar. It is yet to seize even once a kilo of the drugs when it comes in huge bulk in Palamu.

This correspondent spoke to some drug addicts in the town of Daltonganj as to how they find this campaign to be useful or effective in controlling the menace of drugs.

Their common narrative was “It’s too late by now. This is well entrenched in the youths and even in highly aware people.”

A drug addict, name protected, said “I just fell upon it by chance. An acquaintance of mine tempted me. Once I got hooked, I now find chained to the drugs.”

Poverty or affluence has nothing to do with the drugs. The poorest of the poor tries out while the opulent rolls in it. It’s the drugs that make or mar the economy not the economy otherwise.

For some, it’s an individual’s business. There are instances where an entire family is involved. Daltonganj town has some such families that the police can’t afford to deny.

There is a drug de addiction centre in the town of Daltonganj which needs to be helped.

Again district legal services authority here in the civil courts may play a major backup role in preparing the community to thwart the narcotics invasion of the younger generation.

This correspondent had a brief conversation in this regard with the Principal District and Sessions Judge Diwakar Pandey who is the chairman of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) here in Palamu who on hearing the issue of drugs in the town said in a very spontaneous tone “Our DLSA will surely join this crusade against the drug menace.”