ISLAMABAD: In an atmosphere imbued with fervour and commitment, youth, students, teachers, civil society and people from all walks of life gathered at F-9 Park on Wednesday to walk and peddle to shine spotlight on investing in drug use prevention to commemorate International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking or World Drug Day.

Each year on June 26 the world comes together to raise awareness on addressing the global rise in drug use and abuse. The commemorative event was jointly organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Health Organisation, Ministry of Narcotics Control, Anti-Narcotics Force and the Karim Khan Afridi Welfare Foundation (KKAWF) with the aim of bringing a stronger focus on implementing drug use awareness and prevention education programmes among the young population in line with the UNODC theme this year ‘The Evidence is clear: Invest in Prevention’.

Speaking on the occasion, KKAWF ChairpersonCristina von Sperling Afridi said: “Drugs, as part of organised crime are recognised now as a national security threat in Pakistan, including by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF).”

She highlighted that despite worldwide recognition of the drug problem, drug use persisted and was mounting to historic levels - 296 million drug users globally in 2021, which she said was an unprecedented 23pc increase in just one decade, and synthetic drugs like crystal meth were making the task harder to address.

“Concentrating on prevention awareness and knowledge is the only safeguard for the community and only alternative for the youth to build a system of self defence which protects them from getting trapped in the world of drugs. It is time that we in Pakistan collectively focused on the power of prevention to educate our school-going teenagers on the dangers of indulging in the use of recreational drugs,” she said.

The ANF director general, Country head UNODC Jeremy Milsom, the interior secretary, representatives from World Health Organisation and AIRCOP also drew attention to implementing drug prevention strategies to ensure a better future for Pakistan.

A message from UN Goodwill Ambassador Shahzad Roy was also shared on the occasion.

Participants walked and peddled from Baradari at F-10 entrance to F-9 park gate while mementos and banners made the event lively and full of zest..

Organisers said Pakistan, as part of the golden crescent and in proximity to Afghanistan, was the worst affected country throughout South Asia, witnessing an alarming rise in drug use among youth.

According to UN report in 2015, 8.9 million people in the country used drugs, which was almost same as the young population under age 30 of Lahore. With an estimated 150 million youth under the age of 30 in the country, the need to implement early drug prevention strategies were a priority.

If no action was taken, the number of drug addicts in Pakistan would see an unprecedented increase similar to worldwide estimates which showed an increase from 296 million, to over 300 million in 2030, the UNODC said.

The Karim Khan Afridi Welfare Foundation said it had been working since 2015to transmit to youth the knowledge and life skills that would enable them to avoid the addiction trap through drug prevention education.

The foundation had successfully equipped young students with better knowledge and awareness, breaking taboos through prevention education using its five pillars of drug abuse, arts, sports, environment, civic sense to build protective factors for youth and engage with them to make healthy life choices and better identify, understand and manage emotions.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2024