National Vice President Bharatiya Janata Party and MP Avinash Rai Khanna apprised Union Minister JP Nadda of Anti-Drugs initiatives taken by him along along with Union Minister of State Vijay Sampla and asst Media Advisor Vineet Joshi in Punjab since January 2015 under the banner of Joshi Foundation.Khanna presented him an Anti-Drug folder containing points to educate the masses about the early signs of drug addiction. The folder is drafted to educate parents about early signs of drug addiction details physical, behavioral, psychological and physical warning signs of drug abuse.
Khanna detailed that these folders are being distributed among parents to ensure identification and intervention by members of the civil society to help people battling drugs. These are being widely circulated in schools, educational institutes, industrial workplaces, markers, bus stands etc.
Appreciating the efforts of Khanna, Sampla and Joshi the union minister Nadda said that drug addiction is a challenge for society, which needed collaborative efforts of parents, society and government to rot out the evil from system. Khanna said that the drug abusers often conceal their symptoms and downplay their problem which escalates into bigger mental and health issues. “The folder contains information that warns parents and other well-aware people of the symptoms an addict exhibits. It talks about changes in appetite or sleep patterns, sudden weight loss or weight gain, unusual smells on breath, body or clothing, slurred speech, demand for more privacy which could be some significant indications that could assist in identification of a drug abuser,” Khanna said.