Imphal Hosts Cycle Rally to Spread Drug Abuse Awareness

Hundreds of cyclists and volunteers are participating in a six-day long rally here to create awareness on drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking.

Adorning characteristic yellow colour T-shirts, participants are cycling down the streets of Imphal to send across the message on dangers of consuming drugs.

Over 350 cyclists and 200 volunteers are participating in the rally.

The rally will pass through seven districts of Manipur. Street corner meetings and street plays will be organised at several important places.

Organised by the All Manipur Anti-Drug Association (AMADA), the rally was flagged off on Thursday.

Bobo Meitei, the AMADA Organizing Secretary, said: "In Manipur there is a huge problem of drugs. All Manipur Anti-Drug Association wants to ban all these (drugs) items".

The rally also commemorates the International Day against Drug Abuse, declared by the United Nations on June 26.

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A Manipur Aids Control Society (MACS) report released in 2004 stated that 370 deaths and 2,600 AIDS cases have been reported in the State. Many more go unreported.

According to the United Nations Narcotics Control strategy report there are over a million opiate users in India.

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Traffickers have little difficulty in converting opium, which is easily available, to smack or heroine. The entire conversion process takes less than an hour.

The problem has been further compounded by India’s location, which lies between the Golden Crescent (Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan) and the Golden Triangle (Myanmar, Thailand and Laos), which contribute to approximately 70 per cent of world's illicit poppy cultivation.

Source-ANI
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