Daily Times

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the declaration of a smoke and drug free campus was signed at the University of Faisalabad on Tuesday.

Drug Advisery Training Hub Anti-Drug/Narcotics Campaign Consultant Syed Zulfiqar Hussain, DAP Colombo Plan and the University of Faisalabad Pro Rector Dr Zaheer Javed Paracha singed the MoU.

So far, three schools, three colleges and three universities have been declared smoke and drug free campuses including the University of Faisalabad in the whole country, according to international standards on drug use prevention.

Syed Zulfiqar Hussain said that the trend of drug addiction is increasing among students as pharmaceutical drugs, gutka and naswar are easily available in the markets. He informed that 11,000 focal persons on drugs nominated in educational institutions in the whole province with the help of Higher Education Department, Punjab Higher Education Commission and School education department and also highlighted the role of focal persons on drugs.

Hussain added that hard drugs such as crystal ice, cocaine and heroin are grave concerns for all of us and the problems of drug abuse cannot be solved by the government alone. The government is fully aware of the gravity of the problems and “we are making all efforts to control drug menace in the society”.

According to National Survey 2013 conducted by Ministry of NCD and UNODC, about 6.7 million people are using hard and soft drugs in Pakistan.

Dr Zaheer Javed Paracha highlighted the issue of drug usage among students and said that a comprehensive planning should be introduced about use of drugs in educational institutions because “our youth is our future in the country”.

Published in Daily Times, May 16^th 2018.