LAHORE: Speakers at a seminar have expressed concern over the rising trend of use of narcotics among the youth in social gatherings.

Speaking at a seminar titled ‘Drug of Abuse’ at the Government College University (GCU) here on Tuesday, Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Punjab Commander Brig Syed Mehmoodul Hasan said he was concerned about the increasing use of drugs in educated youth especially those belonging to the elite class.

He said educated youth should be made aware of prevailing narcotics and their negative effects. He called upon educational institutions to appoint youth ambassadors for creating awareness about the dangers of drug use.

He said Afghanistan was the world’s leading producer and cultivator of opium, producing almost 83pc of the world’s total opium and also the largest producer of cannabis. Pakistan’s geographical proximity to and porous border with Afghanistan made it highly vulnerable to narcotics, he said, adding according to UN Office on Drugs and Crime World Drug Report 2014, 44pc of Afghanistan’s opium/narcotics transited through Pakistan.

Hassan said the ANF had seized 12,809kg heroin and morphine, 50,184kg opium and 133,645kg hashish in 2015 only and arrested 1,460 drug peddlers.

TV actor and social worker Rashid Mahmood said teenagers and adults were victims of this evil and more vulnerable to it. He held the modern lifestyle the root cause of its spread among the youth. He said the culture of “drug parties” would have devastating effects on society. Parents and teachers should play their role in saving the youth from drug use.

Department of Chemistry Chairperson Prof Dr Ahmad Adnan AND Dunnicliff Chemical Society Adviser Dr M Jahangir also spoke on the occasion.

Later, Faculty of Science and Technology Dean Prof Dr Islamullah Khan led a walk on campus to create awareness among students.

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2016