U-TRUST highlights unethical response to drug use
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By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Apr 26 : Highlighting cases of unethical response to drug use, including forcibly picking up and dumping drug users at treatment centres, the Union of Treatment and Rehabilitation of Users for Social Transformation (U-TRUST) has appealed to stop victimization of vulnerable and marginalized sections of society.
In a statement, U-TRUST accused a handful of private rehabilitation centres of colluding with some CSOs which are
allegedly backed by unidentified armed groups to forcibly pick up drug users and dump them in the drug treatment centres in the name of treatment.
U-TRUST further revealed that families of these drug users are imposed heavy fines as charges for apprehending their wards while those parents and guardians who cannot meet the monthly fees of drug treatment have to bear hefty financial burden.
In addition, U-TRUST stressed on reported cases of physical torture, threats and intimidations meted out to drug users in the process.
Stating that seizure of vehicles and mobile phones are common, U-TRUST maintained that there are also reports of drug users being dumped in makeshift detention rooms who are later sorted and sent to rehab centres involved in the conspiracy. The parents of the victims in turn are also too scared to report such incidents owing to the fear of reprisals and vulnerability of being the family of a drug user, said U-TRUST. It asserted that such type of unethical response to drug use not only violates the guidelines of drug treatment program laid down by the Department of Social Welfare, Government of Manipur but is also a threat to the drug users community as it will only lead to treatment failure that would ultimately affect the whole society. Thus, the Union has urged people to accept drug use disorder as a chronic treatable health condition rather than a criminal or morality issue.
IMPHAL, Apr 26 : Highlighting cases of unethical response to drug use, including forcibly picking up and dumping drug users at treatment centres, the Union of Treatment and Rehabilitation of Users for Social Transformation (U-TRUST) has appealed to stop victimization of vulnerable and marginalized sections of society.
In a statement, U-TRUST accused a handful of private rehabilitation centres of colluding with some CSOs which are
allegedly backed by unidentified armed groups to forcibly pick up drug users and dump them in the drug treatment centres in the name of treatment.
U-TRUST further revealed that families of these drug users are imposed heavy fines as charges for apprehending their wards while those parents and guardians who cannot meet the monthly fees of drug treatment have to bear hefty financial burden.
In addition, U-TRUST stressed on reported cases of physical torture, threats and intimidations meted out to drug users in the process.
Stating that seizure of vehicles and mobile phones are common, U-TRUST maintained that there are also reports of drug users being dumped in makeshift detention rooms who are later sorted and sent to rehab centres involved in the conspiracy. The parents of the victims in turn are also too scared to report such incidents owing to the fear of reprisals and vulnerability of being the family of a drug user, said U-TRUST. It asserted that such type of unethical response to drug use not only violates the guidelines of drug treatment program laid down by the Department of Social Welfare, Government of Manipur but is also a threat to the drug users community as it will only lead to treatment failure that would ultimately affect the whole society. Thus, the Union has urged people to accept drug use disorder as a chronic treatable health condition rather than a criminal or morality issue.