By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 3: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) will fund and assist Meghalaya in collecting data on drug users and raising awareness on drug prevention in the state.
Director of the Drug Reduction Elimination and Action Mission (DREAM), Francis Kharshiing, revealed on Monday that an initial meeting with UNODC officials has already taken place.
“We are expected to have another round of discussions shortly with UNESCO officials to finalize the way forward,” Kharshiing said, adding that talks with UNODC headquarters in Vienna may also be held.
He said that this study would be highly beneficial, as the state currently lacks accurate data on the number of drug users. “We hope this collaboration with UNODC takes off at the earliest,” he added.
Meanwhile, in a first-of-its-kind initiative, the DREAM project held a consultation with parents of drug-affected youth on Monday.
The meeting took place at the conference room of the Directorate of Social Welfare in Lachumiere.
Discussing the initiative, Kharshiing said the objective was to understand how parents are coping with and addressing drug-related challenges, including counselling, support, and empathy for their affected children.
He highlighted that families play a crucial role in the rehabilitation process of drug users.
One major challenge families face, he noted, is stigmatisation. To address this, the government will provide counselling support for affected families.
During the consultation, some counsellors shared strategies to help families cope with the situation.
According to Kharshiing, drug addiction should be seen as an illness, not a crime. “Society should support and appreciate families dealing with drug addiction rather than stigmatising them,” he urged.
Currently, there are around 10 de-addiction and rehabilitation centres in Meghalaya. Additionally, five new parties have expressed interest in setting up more centres.
Kharshiing stated that DREAM would push the state government to provide necessary support for these new facilities.
He further informed that the government is offering financial assistance of Rs 32,000 to families from economically weaker sections for free treatment of drug-affected individuals.