Poonam Sharma
Kerala — a state often celebrated for its high literacy rates, robust healthcare system, and progressive social indicators — now finds itself battling an escalating crisis that threatens to unravel the very fabric of its society. The menace? A rapidly growing drug epidemic that has seeped into schools, homes, and communities across the state.
In 2024 alone, Kerala reported over 30,000 cases related to drug abuse, alongside narcotics seizures worth crores. Law enforcement agencies have conducted sweeping crackdowns, and de-addiction centres are overflowing. Yet, beneath the surface of police actions and public awareness campaigns lies a grimmer truth: the state’s response to the drug emergency has been inadequate, reactive, and poorly coordinated.
The stories are chilling. At a de-addiction centre in North Kerala, a 28-year-old former driver from Abu Dhabi recounts his descent into addiction. Introduced to crystal meth (locally referred to as kallu) by fellow Malayalis while abroad, his casual experiment quickly turned into a destructive habit. Like him, thousands of youths are finding themselves ensnared in a drug trade that is becoming disturbingly normalised — often starting with peer pressure and curiosity, then spiraling into addiction.
Drugs like MDMA, methamphetamine, LSD, and even high-grade cannabis are now easily accessible through encrypted apps, social media, and courier networks. Alarmingly, many cases involve school and college students. Panchayat officials and school administrators have expressed deep concern, yet often admit they feel powerless in the absence of sustained government support.
The Crackdown: Too Little, Too Late?
The Kerala Police and Excise Department have intensified their operations, resulting in thousands of arrests and record seizures in the past year. Special squads and cyber cells are trying to dismantle drug rings, often linked to inter-state and international networks. But these are largely knee-jerk responses, spurred more by public outrage than long-term policy planning.
Critics argue that the government has failed to treat the issue with the urgency and strategy it demands. There is little coordination between departments, poor data tracking, and no comprehensive rehabilitation roadmap. What exists instead is a piecemeal approach: ad hoc school campaigns, isolated panchayat drives, and a few underfunded de-addiction centres that are struggling with overwhelming demand.Lack of Political Will and Vision
What’s more troubling is the lack of political will to acknowledge the depth of the crisis. While leaders make statements during media briefings, no statewide blueprint has emerged. Experts say the government has not allocated sufficient funds toward prevention, mental health counselling, or grassroots-level community monitoring.
“There’s a deep-rooted reluctance to accept that this is a structural issue, not just a law enforcement one,” says a retired social worker who has been part of anti-drug awareness campaigns for over a decade. “We need intervention in schools, we need addiction treated as a mental health issue, and we need to support families. But none of that is happening at scale.”
A Society at Risk
Perhaps most alarming is the growing normalisation of drug use in urban and even rural pockets of Kerala. Influencers glamorizing drug culture, lack of parental awareness, and the pressure of academic and social expectations have created a volatile environment for young people.
Even with the shocking increase in cases of drug abuse in Kerala, the state government has not undertaken a holistic, multi-faceted approach to contain the crisis effectively. While the issue has escalated to emergency proportions—with more than 30,000 cases reported in 2024 alone—the government response is fragmented and reactive. There is no consistent campaign of awareness among schools and colleges, and there is no engagement of mental health professionals and addiction specialists in initiatives.Most importantly, community-based rehabilitation programs don’t exist or are woefully under-resourced , with addiction left to be tackled by families on their own. The government has failed to establish strong digital surveillance systems to track the rising online illegal drug trade, even as social media and messaging apps become increasingly important in the distribution of narcotics.
Excise and health departments still function with insufficient funding and personnel, undermining enforcement and rehabilitation processes. In addition, no tangible legislative actions have been undertaken to build Kerala’s legislative framework for narcotics control—laws in place are predominantly punitive and do not attempt prevention or recovery.
This absence of political will and planning for the long term is a risky complacency, even while the state’s young people are drawn ever further into a vortex of addiction and despair. Kerala requires action, not talk.
Kerala stands at a crossroads. Will it leverage its strengths — its educated populace, progressive values, and strong local governance — to lead the country in tackling drug abuse? Or will it allow systemic inertia, political apathy, and fragmented planning to let this crisis deepen?
If the government continues to merely react, the cost will not just be measured in grams and rupees, but in lost lives, broken families, and a scarred generation.
The post Kerala’s Drug Crisis: A Rising Emergency and the Failure of Governance appeared first on Global Governance News- Asia's First Bilingual News portal for Global News and Updates.
