DREAM eyes 2-year time to reduce drug menace

SHILLONG, April 2: The Drug Reduction, Elimination and Action Mission (DREAM) has set a two-year target to reduce the drug menace in Meghalaya.
The DREAM’s Mission Director, Francis Kharshiing, said Wednesday that the drug menace assumed alarming proportions in the last three years.
He said the usage of heroin has seen a significant spike, and the state can reduce the menace, if not eradicate it.
Stressing the importance of community in the fight, Kharshiing said the DREAM has held some 25 meetings with communities such as Dorbar Shnongs, students, and VDPs to explain to them the danger of drug abuse.
He said awareness is critical as the state has a shortage of detox centres. “We are trying to increase them,” he added.
He also said de-stigmatisation and decriminalisation are key to ensuring that drug users and their families are given the required support to recover from their sufferings.
Kharshiing said it is difficult to say if the drug menace has reduced in the state since the inception of DREAM, but his team is working on strategies to reduce the menace in about two years.
The DREAM is also planning to adopt the Kerala model, where retired doctors and teachers come together as a team to provide counselling and treatment to drug users by engaging college students and other stakeholders.