Stalin launches ‘Drug Free Tamil Nadu’ scheme

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday launched the scheme of "Drug Free Tamil Nadu" under which several awareness programme have been planned to eradicate narcotic substances in the State.

After launching the scheme, the Chief Minister inaugurated a new wing of police named "Enforcement Bureau- Crime Investigation Department" by combining the Narcotics Intelligence Bureau and Prohibition Enforcement Wing to attain the target of "Drug Free Tamil Nadu".

Then, he also launched the programme of creating 30 hours of continuous awareness against drugs by volunteers of NCC and NSS followed by which the Chief Minister administered the pledge against usage and addiction of drugs. More than 30 lakh school and college students took pledge through video conference and this created new records for most number of students taking pledge at a single occasion.

The Chief Minister was presented with record certificates by the World Records Union and Asia Book of Records. MLAs of various political parties joined the meeting through video conference and in the function PMK Assembly party leader GK Mani, from Dharmapuri, appreciated the steps taken by the State government in banning narcotics substances.

A short film on the ill effects of drug addiction and ways to bring the youth out of the clutches of drugs was launched by the Chief Minister in which he had requested the youngsters and the public not to choose the path of drug addiction. Actors like Karthi, Sivakarthikeyan, Varalakshmi Sararthkumar, Parthiban, Madhavan and others had also spoken against the drugs in the documentary.

After launching the series of programme, Stalin, in his address, said: "Persons selling narcotics substances cannot be treated as individual criminals but as people infecting the entire society. The ruling government will not hesitate to take stringent action on those criminals. So far, after DMK came to power 41,625 persons selling narcotics substances were arrested and properties worth more than Rs 50 crore have been seized yet the movement of narcotics substances could not be stopped completely and the narcotic substances manage to reach the persons. The supply chain should be broken."

"Consuming narcotic substances is not an isolated crime but will affect the entire society. Crimes such as murder, dacoity, sexual harassment of women and so on are committed by criminals who are mostly under the influence of narcotic substances,” said Stalin.