To keep addicts away, Army recruitment to have dope test

The phenomenal rise in the number of drug abuse cases in Punjab has left even the Army circumspect of youth eager to join the armed forces.

To ward off drug addicts getting into the military and donning the olive green uniform, the Army has now begun conducting dope tests during recruitment rallies in Punjab.

In the last two recruitment rallies conducted by the Army in Punjab–one each in Amritsar and Jallandhar respectively–an expert team of doctors of the Army Medical Corps randomly collected urine samples for dope tests from those wanting to join the Army.

There were thousands of Punjabi youth who participated in these recruitment drives held for selecting general duty soldiers among others.

Blemished by huge drug recoveries and battling surging number of drug addicts, Punjab faces a daunting challenge to uproot the drug menace. The Army’s decision to put in place checks and balances to keep drug users at bay comes just months before the state government decision to make dope test mandatory for all eligible persons aspiring for a state government job.

While there have been no reports of candidates failing the dope test during the two Army recruitment rallies, sources said the practice will now be a common feature during recruitment.

Border state Punjab has been witnessing a startling surge in the number of drug addicts. De-addiction centres have been full to capacity ever since the state police launched an offensive to dismantle the supply lines facilitating drug addicts.

  With addicts being unable to get their supply of drugs, especially during the imposition of the model code of conduct in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, an estimated 2.08 lakh people got treated at rehabilitation centres by the end of July this year. Since the problem assumes socio-psychological dimensions beyond the statutes of the law, the government this week decided to incorporate changes in existing rules.