Kashmir has been engulfed in various social ailments amid the decades-long conflict that has not come to halt. While children have been worst impacted by these issues, the youth of the region are slowly contracting diseases after addiction to different drugs. Addiction among youth has been a cause of worry but there has been limited awareness and measures taken to stop this menace. There is no other way to save our youth but building knowledge and teaching youth how to safeguard themselves from addiction to substance abuse. This has also increased the vulnerability of youth to get infected by other dangerous diseases that can cause death too, or spread in the community. The government must take steps to increase awareness among young men and women about the ill effects of substance abuse, which is slowly creating a void in our society. We as people also have to come together, as a collective, to check upon our youth on how they can be stopped from involving themselves in this menace. It is not just the government who can bring an end to this but also as a society we have a duty to fulfill and we must not stay behind.
The editorial originally appeared in our 27 July – 2 August 2020 print edition.