These days, the Hon’ble Governor of Punjab, Shri Gulab Chand Kataria Ji, is undertaking a foot march in the border districts of the state to raise awareness among people against the menace of drugs. Leaders of some political parties and representatives of religious organizations are also participating in this campaign. While this march symbolizes the Hon’ble Governor’s pain and sensitivity towards the people of Punjab, it also reflects the seriousness of the drug problem.
Today, newspapers and social media in Punjab appear filled with news related to drugs. Instead of declining, this problem is growing day by day and taking a dreadful form. Entire families are being ruined. 
Recently, a news report stated that a woman’s six sons and her husband fell victim, one after another, to this man-eating drug menace. The youth of Punjab are the most affected by drug addiction today. Along with this, other evils are also emerging. From petty thefts to murders and gang wars, to some extent, can be considered the outcome of the flowing rivers of drugs in Punjab.
Punjab is a border state, and this province is being used as a major route for international smuggling. Drugs have always been an easy and attractive source of income. Since Punjab has become a center for drug import, it has also turned into a region of consumption. Until 2022, approximately 15.4% of its population was using narcotic substances in one form or another. 
This prevalence is taking an increasingly monstrous shape day by day. Today, the situation is such that in more than two-thirds of households, at least one member is addicted to drugs. The drug most commonly consumed in Punjab today is “chitta” or heroin. Despite being seized repeatedly in large quantities in border areas, it is easily available. It is the most preferred and destructive drug among addicts. Along with this, strong painkiller tablets, capsules, and injections are also being used for intoxication. 
Traditional narcotics such as poppy husk and opium are less prevalent because they are expensive and difficult to obtain, but chemical drugs are being consumed in very large quantities and are proving deadly for today’s youth in every way. According to a 2023 Parliamentary Committee report, 6,600,000 people in Punjab are using drugs. Today, it is a tragedy of our green, smiling, and prosperous state that deaths due to drugs are occurring daily and various kinds of crimes are increasing.
Over the past few years, governments and social service organizations, understanding the seriousness of this problem, have initiated efforts to curb it, including treatment, rehabilitation, and preventive education. Although drug abuse is a global problem, for a developing and densely populated country like India, it is a major obstacle on the path of development. 
The numerous government and non-government de-addiction centers opened across Punjab stand as evidence of how dreadful this menace has become. A significant portion of the state’s budget and human resources is being spent on this anti-drug campaign. If this drug menace ends, all this money and resources could be used for education, employment, and development.
The foot march initiated by the Hon’ble Governor will certainly yield meaningful results. Even though some political parties are interpreting this march according to their own thinking and ideologies, one thing is clear: saving Punjab from the drug menace is the need of the hour. Everyone should contribute their part to this campaign. Today, there is a need for a people’s revolution against drugs. If every Punjabi becomes a true participant in this cause, Punjab can once again return to happiness and prosperity and be counted among the leading states of the nation.

— Davinder Kumar