June 26 was observed as ‘International Day of Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking’. This is a call by the United Nations (UN) for governments, international organizations, civil society, and all stakeholders to take urgent action to protect people by strengthening drug use prevention and treatment, and by tackling illicit drug supply. Goa is slowly becoming a major destination for the supply of drugs. The Goa police have made seizures of varying quantities of drugs which may be just the tip of the iceberg. It is learnt that the Goa police have seized drugs worth around Rs 2 crores since January this year and that 50 cases were registered under the NDPS Act which led to the arrest of 53 persons. The majority of the drug peddlers are reportedly from outside Goa and even foreign nationals. The drugs that have been seized include ganja, charas, cocaine, hashish, heroin, LSD, MDMA, ecstasy tablets, etc. The drug menace needs to be nipped in the bud before Goan youth fall prey to it. The authorities need to go after the big fish involved in the drug trade.
