The DREAM project of the Police Department in collaboration with the Lympung Ki Seng Kynthei deserves appreciation for holding an awareness programme on substance abuse in Motphran right in front of Mahari’s – a crowded public space where it is supposed to have maximum impact. Experience has shown that having such awareness programmes in formal surroundings such as schools and colleges and inviting people, especially the young to such meetings is futile. The target audience – namely the substance abusers will not wish to be seen anywhere near such formal spaces. Street corner meetings have their utility because people wanting to listen to what’s being spoken by trained counsellors and other concerned individuals can do so from a distance without being seen to be part of the audience. There is anonymity and that’s what drug users, many of whom are led into the act by a sense of desperation want. Every substance abuser in his/her sober moments knows that the addiction will ultimately extract a heavy price but cannot get out of the addiction because the process involves being a ‘resident’ at a rehabilitation centre which is an expensive proposition.
As is the case in Meghalaya only families that suffer from having an addict in the family are concerned while society is not involved in the rehabilitation process. In fact there is a certain ostracization of addicts which pushes them to the edge. While the Government has tried to involve the Dorbar Shnong, these traditional institutions have stated that they do not have the wherewithal to deal with substance addicts which includes alcoholics. The reason why HIV positivity in Meghalaya is growing in numbers is also due to needle sharing which is a major reason for the spread of HIV. In states like Manipur, HIV positivity has been addressed by having drop-in centres at places frequented by young people where used syringes are dropped and new ones taken so that they stop sharing the same infected syringes. This programme was started many years ago by the United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC) which reached out to the entire region.
In Meghalaya there is a lack of openness to discuss these human concerns because society is judgmental. This has only pushed up the numbers of HIV positive cases in the state. Sanker Nursing Home has been doing its utmost in helping substance abusers find a new lease of life but there is a limit to how many such inmates they can accommodate. As a society there is a need to work at prevention rather than in curing once the addiction has taken hold of a person. The easy availability of drugs which are transiting the state to be peddled onwards to other cities is a major cause of rising addiction in Meghalaya. Then there is a listlessness among the youth who see no hope of a viable future and quickly turn to drugs for instant gratification. Once the dependency sets in the substance abusers resort to stealing to support their addiction. Unless society rises to the occasion, a few institutions and healers will not be able to tackle the problem.
