CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Government is planning to launch a drug control policy focusing on prevention, enforcement, de-addiction and rehabilitation. The state is also planning to launch a centralised platform to manage and monitor patient registration across various Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) and private centres to prevent the misuse of detoxification medicine Buprenorphine and improve patient care.Sources said that the policy will focus on strategies to wean away youth from drug consumption. The community policing wing of Punjab Police will be mandated to nudge youth away from drugs. Schools and higher education departments are contemplating the revision of school and college curriculum, and add chapters on drug abuse awareness. Educational institutions will also hire faculty to educate students about the ill-effects of drug usage. The government is seeking to replicate the Manipur State Policy on Substance Use in the state. “The focus of the policy is on community-based detoxification and home detoxification of drug addicts and the measures include ready availability of medicines that can prevent drug overdose deaths, if given on time besides understands gender-specific problems in treatment and rehabilitation,” said an officer, adding that the policy will be rolled out within two months. The government is also planning to start at least two more de-addiction and rehabilitation clinics for women, as only one centre at Kapurthala is currently operational. There are 303 drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres across the state, including private centres, besides 590 outpatient opioid assisted treatment (OOAT) clinics and mobile OOATs. A significant number of patients seek treatment in Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Bathinda districts. The centres will now focus on de-addiction from pharma opioids, although opioid substitution therapy will continue to be used to wean addicts off other narcotic substances, said sources. Notably, many addicts are in the age group of 18 to 25 years.
Source link
