Integrated efforts of all the government, non-government and volunteer organisations concerned can be the best way of mitigating the abuse of drugs along with its illicit trafficking and trading.
Around 80 percent of the drug addicts are of the age group of 15 to 30 in the region. So, there is no alternative to concerted efforts against drug abuse to protect the young generation from degradation.
The observation came at a post-rally discussion held at Shilpakala Academy auditorium in observance of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking-2024 on Sunday.
This year's theme of the day is "The evidence is clear: invest in prevention".
The District Administration and Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) jointly organised the programme discussing and devising ways and means on how to free the city from the curse of abusing drugs.
Commissioner of Rajshahi division Dr Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir addressed the discussion as the chief guest with Deputy Commissioner Shamim Ahmed in the chair.
Additional Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Rashidul Hassan, Additional Deputy Inspector General of Police Faisal Mahmud, Editor of Daily Sonar Desh Akbarul Hassan Millat, Additional Superintendent of Police Abu Saleh Muhammad Ashraful Alam, DNC Additional Director Fazlur Rahman and Civil Surgeon Dr Abu Sayeed Faruque also spoke.
DNC Deputy Director Alamgir Hossain welcomed the participants.
Commissioner Dr Humayun Kabir said the law enforcing agencies alone are not capable of combating the social disease, but community participation coupled with family and social contribution is very important to this end.
Forging social resistance has become indispensable to uproot the crime as it's being judged as a grave concern in the society.
All the local government institutions side by side with the public and private bodies should come forward and work together to attain the cherished result in this regard as the drug-abusing situation is gradually aggravating, Dr Kabir added.
He said the present government has a declaration of zero tolerance against drug-addiction and urged all quarters to come forward to protect the young generation from the grip of social crime.
"We have to build a healthy society to achieve sustainable development goals," he said, adding that the movement against drug abuse should be turned into a social movement.
Deputy Commissioner Shamim Ahmed said full-length support of the community in general and leaders of influences in particular can be the effective means of freeing the society from abuse of drugs along with its illicit trade and trafficking.
Creation of mass-awareness about the curse of drug-abuse coupled with its fatal consequences has become crucial to mitigate the social disease.
He added that a drug-abuse-free society must be built at any cost to protect people, particularly the young generation from deadly aggression of the drugs.
RMP Additional Commissioner Rashidul Hassan urged the community people to extend their wholehearted cooperation towards law enforcing agencies with authentic information about the drug traders and traffickers so that they could be brought to book.
He said drug trafficking is a social and criminal problem that has transformed in recent years into a major threat to the health and security of people and regions.
"Drug dependence is a disease, not a crime. The real criminals are the drug traffickers," he added.
