The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Drug abuse more harmful the younger you are

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Saturday, Jun 28, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Drug abuse more harmful the younger you are

Bangalore: Apart from the various dangers that street children are up against, substance abuse has become an added danger.

A day-long training programme by Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), in association with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), was conducted to inform and train community-level workers on how to deal with street children addicted to any kind of intoxicants. As part of the “Children-in-Crisis” programme, the training session brought together 40 people from various NGOs across the city, such as the Ragpickers’ Education and Development Scheme (REDS), Association for the Promotion of Social Action (APSA) and the YMCA itself, to mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Vivek Benegal, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at NIMHANS and one of the resource-persons for this programme, in his presentation, highlighted facts about substance abuse among street children for the trainees. He began with simple questions like “What are drugs?” and “Who uses drugs?” to help participants understand the implications of drug abuse. “Before the age of 16, the effect of drug use can cause 80 per cent more harm than taking drugs at the age of 21 and above,” he said.

The idea, he added, was not just prohibition of drugs or awareness, but about pushing the age of drug usage by a few years.

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