It is rarely that rural colleges organize functions relevant to what is going on in and around their campuses. Well done, Indo-American College, Cheyyar.

On Thursday the college had organized a special symposium in collaboration with the Field Publicity Office, Vellore, the office of the Deputy-Director of Health Services, Cheyyar, and the Narcotics Intelligence Bureau (NIB) in connection with the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Speaking at the symposium, the Superintendent of Police Tiruvannamalai, V. Balakrishnan, made a fervent appeal to the public to help make Tiruvannamalai a drug-free district.

According to available statistics, about 20 crore people in the world use drugs. In India, 6.25 crore people are addicted to alcohol, 87 lakh to cannabis, and 20 lakh to opium. Mr. Balakrishnan said that once a person becomes addicted to drugs, recovery is difficult and time consuming. International drug peddlers targeted the youth, who fall easy prey to drugs. The close nexus between drug trafficking and international terrorism cannot be ruled out. Mr. Balakrishnan very rightly cautioned the youth against falling into the trap laid by drug traffickers.

At the symposium, K.S.T. Suresh, Deputy-Director of Health Services, Cheyyar, made a valid suggestion. He said that the government should ban the sale of medicines without the prescription of doctors in medical shops. In Western countries, especially in the United States, you cannot get any drug without prescription by a registered practitioner. You will be asked to give the registration number of the Doctor. Unless you have this system, one cannot prevent addiction, which after all is an unpredictable event.

Let Thiruvannamalai�s be the bugle call for an initiative to create a drug-free world. Significantly, the place is known for its Deepam, light.