Kohima, June 26: International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was observed globally today. Addressing a programme to marke the day, Nagaland Director General of Police (DGP) Rupin Sharma has admitted that despite years of effort, the state has collectively failed to address the growing menace of drug abuse and trafficking.

The DGP was speaking at the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking programme, jointly organised by Social Welfare Department, NSACS and Kripa Foundation Nagaland, in Kohima today. Mr Sharma revealed that Nagaland currently has nearly 1.2 lakh drug users, primarily addicted to heroin and Shan flowers with an estimated 5 lakh soap cases of drugs consumed annually. In contrast, all enforcement agencies combined are only able to seize around 10 Thousand soap cases per year in the state, he added.

Stating that anti-drug mechanisms lack coordination and accountability, especially at the district level, Mr Sharma said that unless all agencies work together, there will be no success. He called for urgent, unified action involving the police, government, NGOs, and community institutions. Mr. Sharma suggested for the development of a unified, inter-departmental PowerPoint presentation that can be circulated across institutions to raise awareness and coordinate efforts.

The DGP also stressed the need for stronger community-police collaboration. He said religious counselling without psychological intervention is not enough, urging the state to scale up trained psychological counsellors and structured rehabilitation efforts.