Mangaluru: Around 75% of students who had tested positive for drug use earlier this year have now tested negative, indicating that counselling and support measures are helping them stay away from substance abuse, Mangaluru Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy said.
The police had conducted drug tests among students from colleges in Mangaluru at the beginning of the academic year as part of efforts to identify and address substance abuse among youngsters.
8,310 students tested for drug use
According to Commissioner Reddy, a total of 8,310 students from 150 colleges underwent drug tests at the beginning of the academic year.
The testing exercise identified 98 students who tested positive for drug use. Following the results, the students were referred for counselling, with their parents and college managements also involved in the process.
The initiative was aimed not merely at identifying students consuming drugs but also at ensuring that those found positive received appropriate guidance and support to help them overcome substance dependence.
Follow-up tests show encouraging results
As part of the follow-up process, 50 of the 98 students who had earlier tested positive underwent another drug test on September 10.
The results showed significant improvement. Of the 50 students tested, 38 tested negative, indicating that they had stopped consuming drugs.
Only 12 students continued to test positive in the latest round of testing.
Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy described the results as encouraging and said the fact that more than three-fourths of the students tested negative in the follow-up was a positive development.
“It is encouraging to see more than 75% of the students who initially tested positive testing negative now,” Reddy said.
The results also underline the importance of early intervention, counselling and continued involvement of families and educational institutions in tackling drug use among students.
Parents, colleges urged to support students
The police have urged parents and college managements to maintain close contact with the students who continue to test positive.
Reddy specifically called for continued monitoring and counselling of the 12 students whose follow-up tests remained positive. Rather than treating the issue only as a disciplinary matter, the police have stressed the need for sustained support and intervention.
The involvement of parents and college authorities is considered important in helping students deal with substance-related problems and preventing them from returning to drug use.
The follow-up testing is also part of a broader effort to ensure that students identified through the initial screening do not simply disappear from the monitoring process after counselling.
Focus on prevention and rehabilitation
The latest results suggest that a combination of testing, counselling and family involvement can encourage students to discontinue drug consumption.
With thousands of students being screened across colleges, the initiative also seeks to create greater awareness about the risks associated with substance abuse and encourage educational institutions to remain vigilant.
The police have emphasised that continued cooperation between students, parents, college managements and law enforcement agencies is necessary to prevent drug abuse among young people.
The latest follow-up results, in which 38 out of 50 students tested negative, have provided an encouraging indication that timely counselling and intervention can help students move away from substance use.