'Drug-Free Campus' Tag for Colleges That Curb Menace, Says Mangaluru Top Cop

Says over 500 students were booked for drug abuse last year, and 150 were repeat users

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Mangaluru

In a significant shift from awareness to enforcement, police in Mangaluru and across Dakshina Kannada have issued strict new directives to colleges aimed at curbing the growing drug menace among students.

Colleges have now been ordered to conduct random drug screenings, collect anti-drug undertakings from students and parents during admissions, and report to authorities if their campus is free of narcotics - in which case, it will be officially recognised as a 'Drug-Free Campus'.

The move comes after years of awareness campaigns, which officials say have failed to make a lasting impact.

"We cannot do the same thing again and again and expect different results. The result of awareness programmes is a failure," said Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police Dr Arun K, speaking at a gathering of substance abuse victims, their parents, and college faculty in Mangaluru on Monday.