Guwahati: Drug users, especially injecting drug users, are on the rise in Guwahati, raising concerns not only over substance abuse but also over the spread of HIV and other health risks linked to unsafe injecting practices.
Against this backdrop, the Assam State AIDS Control Society (ASACS) organised a “Red Ribbon Sensitization Meeting on HIV & Injecting Drug Use” at Guwahati Railway Station on Thursday (September 3) to reach out to injecting drug users as well as the wider public, including railway commuters.
The railway station, a place where thousands of people pass through every day, became a venue for an awareness campaign aimed at bringing the risks of drug use and HIV transmission into public view.
The programme was organised in collaboration with the Northeast Frontier Railway, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Women and Child Development and State Home Department, with support from Targeted Intervention (TI) NGO GOLD.
The meeting sought to sensitise injecting drug users and the general public about HIV, the dangers of substance abuse and the legal consequences associated with illegal drugs.
Speaking at the programme, Dipjyoti Dadhara, ACP, Traffic (Central District), highlighted the growing concern over drug use in Guwahati and the lack of awareness about the law governing narcotic substances.
“Drug users, especially the injecting drug users, are on the rise in the city and many people are not aware about the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) 1985 which bans the production, sale, possession and use of illegal drugs and psychotropic substances. Under this Act, there are various penalty provisions which includes jail terms from 1 year to 20 years,” he said.
While the law remains an important deterrent, speakers at the meeting stressed that tackling drug abuse also requires awareness, counselling, treatment and rehabilitation.
Sandip Hanse, Head of the State-level Coordinating Agency on Drug Abuse under the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, spoke about the damaging effects of substance abuse on both the mind and body.
“There are various types of drugs which creates ill effects in the mind and the body of drug users including memory loss which leads to criminal activities,” he said.
Hanse also appealed to drug users to seek help from rehabilitation centres run by the government.
The need for sustained public awareness was also emphasised by RK Barma, Additional Chief Medical Superintendent, Railway Health Unit, NF Railway, who stressed the importance of generating mass awareness on drug abuse.
For Jharna Das, Supervisor, Guwahati Urban ICDS Project under the Department of Women and Child Development, prevention must begin early.
“To keep the youth away from drug use, proper counselling is required right from the childhood,” she said.
For those already struggling with injecting drug use, access to treatment remains a crucial part of the response.
Jyoti Prasad Sarmah, Deputy Director (Prevention), ASACS, spoke about treatment available through Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) Centres, which operate at different hospitals across Assam, including Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH).
Pallab Jyoti Hazarika, Assistant Director (Youth Affairs), ASACS, spoke about the routes of HIV transmission and the vulnerability of young people to drug abuse.
Meanwhile, Jonali Das, Programme Manager of TI NGO GOLD, outlined the objectives of the sensitisation meeting and the need to take awareness efforts directly to communities at risk.
The message was taken beyond speeches and presentations through a street play on HIV and drug abuse, staged at the railway station to engage commuters and the public.