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Drug abuse bane not only of addicts but also of whole community

by Sarath Malalasekera

Drugs not only destroy the life of the addict but also cause disastrous socio-economic implications. Drug addiction, not only harms the individual but also his family, the community where he is living and also the country at large. Rehabilitation is an enormous task, which consumes time and resources. "Prevention is better than cure" is very appropriate for this menace too said Baggage and Narcotics, Customs Director S. Ramachandran.

Director Ramachandran in a message to the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) who celebrated 30 years of service recently, said that Sri Lanka being situated close to the "golden triangle" and "golden crescent" and also being in the busiest sea and air routes, it has attracted the attention of drug smugglers to use the country as a transit point. Further it is also claimed that countries used as transit points too become victims of drug abuse and drug addiction. Sri Lanka is no exception to this theory. It is reported that there are over 300,000 drug addicts consisting of 100,000 heroin addicts and 200,000 cannabis addicts.

Demand reduction is the best instrument that can be used to achieve this objective of drug prevention. However, it is also very essential to cut off the supply lines. As such the three Governmental Enforcement Agencies namely, the Police, Customs and the Excise Departments are entrusted with the prime responsibility of curbing the supplies of narcotic drugs.

The Department of Customs is not only entrusted with the collection of revenue but also with the responsibility of social protection. The entry and exit of all restricted and prohibited goods have to be monitored by Customs. The enforcement of laws related to exchange Control, Import and Export Control, Fauna and Flora, National Archives, Artifacts and many other legislations is one of the main responsibilities of the Customs Department. Narcotic Drugs and psychotropic substances too fall under this.

Director Ramachandran emphasised that while acknowledging the excellent cooperation which exist between the Customs and Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) it will augur well if the cooperation with other agencies too could be improved upon to fight against the common enemy- "Drugs". 'The need for strengthening the activities of the SAARC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk (SDOMD) and more closer cooperation and interaction among the SAARC countries is very vital for our activities,' he said. 'In order to increase the effectiveness of our enforcement activities it is very essential that we give priority for trained and dedicated staff, promote closer cooperation with local and international agencies, use sophisticated instruments and equipment such as ION scan, urine analyzer, make field visits to one another's country thus developing person to person contact, use modern communication equipment, kennel of trained dogs and patrol craft, the Customs Director added.

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