NEW DELHI: Drugs can give a momentary high but family and professional lives will hit a low, PM Modi told youth in a warning against substance abuse on Sunday, and exhorted families not to hide any addiction in the name of social prestige but reach out to experts and cultivate a culture of frank communication with kids.Launching ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan’ (campaign for drug-free youth for developed India), Modi called for rejecting stigma on the issue. “Youth who come out fighting addiction are not weak; they are real warriors,” he said. Give drug survivors a second chance, respect them: PM ModiPM Modi said society should instead respect those who overcome their drug addiction. “They are real warriors whose incredible courage is their true identity,” he said in a virtual address, with a host of chief ministers, governors, spiritual figures and a large number of youngsters joining the event from across the country.As the nation has set the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’, it is imperative that the country’s youth remain physically and mentally fit, steering clear of destructive habits like drugs, he said, stressing the importance of support system offered by the society besides the help from yoga and meditation.He said, “Even if a youth has mistakenly fallen into the trap of addiction, it absolutely does not mean that all doors are closed for them.” Society should respect them, embrace them and give them a second chance, he said.Substance abuse has long been a serious concern in parts of the north-east and Punjab, where it has become a major plank for all political parties in the run-up to elections early next year.
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Modi noted enemy countries use the supply of drugs as part of their terror plans because they know that youth are the future of country.The campaign will continue for the next 100 weeks, and every Sunday, activities related to art, culture, sports, meditation, spirituality and services will be organised to take the message of de-addiction to new people.Family members live with this pain every day, watching their children gradually lose themselves before their eyes, he said. Strict action is being taken against drug traffickers across the country. The arrests have gone up several times, and drugs worth thousands of crores of rupees have been seized, the PM said.
