Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Sep 11: The city police's intensive anti-drug drive in educational institutions is showing promising results, with a significant number of students giving up substance abuse following timely intervention and counselling.

Sharing details of the initiative, city police commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy stated that authorities had tested a total of 8,310 students across 150 colleges this year. During this initial phase of testing, 98 students tested positive for drug consumption. Following the results, these students were directed to undergo mandatory counselling with the active involvement of their parents and respective college managements.

To monitor their progress and verify the effectiveness of the intervention, the police conducted a follow-up drive on Thursday. During this exercise, 50 of the 98 students who had initially tested positive were subjected to a second round of testing.

The outcome was highly encouraging, as 38 out of the 50 students tested negative, confirming to authorities that they had completely stopped using drugs.

"It is positive to see that more than 75 per cent of the students who tested positive initially have tested negative now," the police commissioner noted.

However, 12 students tested positive once again during the follow-up drive. The police have strongly advised the parents and college managements of these students to closely monitor their behaviour and intensify their counselling and rehabilitation sessions.

Meanwhile, the city police have urged the public to actively participate in eradicating the drug menace. Citizens can anonymously report any drug-related activities or information to the authorities by scanning the QR code provided below: