Eye On Youth, Drug Menace, Punjab's Focus On Impact Of Movies, Songs

Punjab is fighting a tough battle against drug menace, trying to help people across age groups, especially the state's youth. Last week, highlighting a zero-tolerance approach, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had said that his government would not allow any movie which promotes drugs and violence in the state.

The state government recently banned a movie ''Shooter'', which was based on the life and crimes of a gangster Sukha Kahlwan, saying it promotes "violence" and "heinous crimes". The Chief Minister said in the state assembly,

It is the job of the Censor board. We will also write to the Censor board. If a movie promotes gangsterism, drugs and violence, we will not allow it in Punjab. I can assure you.

The Chief Minister assured that these efforts will be redoubled and continued" till we succeed to control, if not fully obliterate, drugs from the state."

In the last three years, nearly 1,000 kilogram of heroin has been seized by Punjab Police, more than 42,000 people have been arrested over crimes related to drug abuse. Among these are senior cops, as the state tries to send a strong message of zero-tolerance.

Amardiner Singh's remarks last week came days after his cabinet minister Charanjit Singh Channi had said in Ludhiana,

We are going to frame a law to ban movies and songs that promote drugs and weapons.

About 2,50,000 drug addicts are being treated for substance abuse, according to the state government. Drug use among the youth is known to be influenced by education, peer pressure and movies.

Linking movies with drug abuse, an article published in the Global Journal Of Interdiscplinary Sciences says,

Cinema has been instrumental in making people known to drug abuse and drug business. It has also played an effective role in spreading awareness against such social problems. In the age of the internet,cinema has become more accessible to masses than ever. This access has been facilitated by advanced smartphones and tablets,satellite channels, online streaming videos and interactive websites, but this has also led to a greater responsibility on cinema.

In the state government's Enforcement, De-addiction and Prevention Strategy (EDPS), monitoring of such mediums has become important to curb the drug menace.