Pubdate: Mon, 26 Jun 2006
Source: Hindu, The (India)
Copyright: 2006 The Hindu
Contact:  http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/874

COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY NEEDED TO DEAL WITH DRUGS-HIV: GOVERNOR

Kohima -- Cautioning people about the tremendous cost imposed on the 
society due to the spread of HV/AIDS in the northeast, Nagaland 
Governor Shyamal Datta today called for adopting a comprehensive 
strategy to deal with this challenge.

Calling on NGOs and Government agencies working to rehabilitate drug 
addicts and HIV-infected people to share their experience, Dutta said 
the current National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) strategy 
followed by northeastern states was not sufficient considering the 
ground situation.

A more comprehensive plan of action was needed as there was a direct 
co-relation between drug abuse and HIV prevalence in the region, he said.

Speaking at a function to observe the "International Day against drug 
abuse and illicit trafficking" here, Dutta said the drug menace was 
no more a health-related or enforcement issue in Nagaland, Manipur 
and Mizoram. It had become a social issue and "Everyone of us should 
understand and forsee the economic cost of it in the days to come 
when we have limited resources for development activities", he said.

Sharing their experiences on recovering drug addicts and counselling 
in de-addiction centres, NGO workers asked law enforcing agencies to 
be more stringent as narcotics are easily available in Nagaland. They 
said unless the supply of drugs is curbed, no amount of effort for 
demand reduction will yield positive results.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman