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In this issue

Issue no. 51 - 56

Jan 2011 to June 2012

page 1 Editorialpage 2 Devotionpage 3 - 6 Whither Narcotics Law Enforcementpage 7-8 Report of the 12th National Conference of Christian Agencies to Combat Substance Abuse Network (CACSAN)

After a long gap, the National Conference of CACSAN of CMAI was held at Caritas Centre, Goa, from 22 to 24 February 2012. Important topics were discussed at the meeting including lots of good practices from across the

country. Interactive sessions enable learning at a deeper level. Important meetings were held during this conference.

The CACSAN Committee met and discussed the way forward. Some of the discussions were upon:

• CACSANas a network should get in touchwith existingmainstreamnetworks,e.g.collaboratewithexistingGovernment-sponsoredRegionalResourceTrainingCentres(RRTCs).

• CACSANshouldidentifywaystoopenthoseRRTCtrainings(e.g.3monthstraining)toitsnetwork.OneothersuggestionwastoinvolveAAs(AlcoholicsAnonymous),bothattheinstitutionallevelandattheinter-grouplevel.

• ThereweresuggestionsforaDVDmodulefortrainingoftrainerswhichiscustomisedtothecontext.

There were discussions regarding the relevance of CACSAN and strategies to strengthentheCACSANnetwork.AfewstrategiestostrengthenCACSANasanetworkareasfollows:

• Buildingourcapacitiesthroughbuildingourprayerlives–fortheexpansionof CACSAN

• Identifyotherexistingnetworksworking in thisfieldandnetworkwiththem

• Identifykeypeoplefromeachstate/regiontoidentifyorganisationsandothernetworksinvolvedorinterestedinthisfield.Andhra–ProfessorPattaDevaRaju,Kerala–FrJohnsAbraham,Northeast–Toshi

• Institutionalvisits (organisations and churches toobtainorganisationaldetails)

• WebsiteforCACSAN–detailsoforganisation

Wehope that the enthusiasm continues to build a stronger network ofCACSAN.

In this issue of Addiction News, there arehighlightsof theDevotionat theconference byBappaMukherjee, an article onNarcoticsLawEnforcementbyRomeshBhattacharji,reportoftheConferencebyMsAlyssaPachuauandpicturesfromtheconference.Wehopethatreaderswillgetabird’seyeviewofthe conference.

DearFriends,

Dr Ronald Lalthanmawia

Sr Programme Coordinator, CMAI

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Day1:Psalm22

ThePsalmsspeaktousineveryhuman situation as they were written bymen like uswho

experiencedtheloveandgoodnessofGod in similar situations.

TodayourdevotionisfromPsalm22. In this psalm we see the intense suffering of a man.

The physical agony of the psalmist is described.Whatavividpictureoftheanguish of the cross! (22:14-17). The mental agony the psalmist received through themockingof his friendsand observers is shown (22:6-8). The psalmist’s experiencewithGod isbrought out (22:9-10). How can God abandon himnow? The psalmist’ssense ofGod-forsakennesswas thegreatest cause of his mental suffering. Hedidnotgiveup.Eveninmomentsofdesolationandperplexitywe canhold on to our personal relationship with God. The deliverance that came to the psalmist is described here (22:22-31).Nottheanswerto‘Why?’Deliverancedoesnotalwaysmeantheimmediate cessation of suffering. The turning of the situation is mentioned in vs. 21. Now he says, ‘Thou hast answeredme.’ The prayer of faithis heard even before deliverance has come. His suffering was not purposeless but redemptive. So is our suffering when we suffer in the path of obedienceandservice.Oursufferingresults in praise to God, testimony amongbelievers,courageand joy tootherafflictedpeopleandconversionofthosewhodon’tknowtheLord.Allpeople of God who suffer, share in the suffering of Christ.

Day2:Psalm23Psalm 23 assures us that God

provides! The basis of His providing isconcern.InPsalm23,weseeGod’sconcern: it is personal, it is active, it is total.

LetusstudyGod’sprovisioninthisPsalm.1. God provides for all our needs

(23.1).Doyouknowthatthemanwhoworrieshimselfsickoverhispersonal necessities is practically an atheist?

2. Peoplesufferfrommentalfatigueand soul fatigue. Many turn to liquor and drugs to cope. God provides rest and refreshing ( 2 3 : 2 , 3 ) . G o d r e s t o r e s a n d strengthens the inner man.

3. God provides directions (23:3). There is so much moral relativism in the world today. Decisionmakingisdifficult.Godguidesusin righteousness forHis name’ssake.BecauseofHischaracter,Godwill not let us go astray.

4. God provides protection (23:4). The straight and right path is the best but not easy. It may lead through darkness.Our security is not ingreen pastures, still waters or right pathsbutinourshepherd–hehaspreparedusforthisexperiencebyrefreshing us besides still waters. “The valley of the shadow…” is the valley of deep shadows wherehiddendangers lurk.Theshepherd’s rod is a clubwhichdrives away wild animals. His staffisaslenderpolewithacrookattheendwhichishookedaroundthelegofthesheeptopullitbackfrom its wandering. It can also be usedtodisciplinethesheep.God’schasteningisforourprotection–not from danger but from fear. The condition we have to meet is trust and obedience.

5. God provides hope (23:5, 6). In front goes the shepherd and behindareHishelpers–goodnessandmercy.Thisistokeepusfromdiscouragement.

As for what is inside the sheepfold: abundance of victory, healing, overflowing satisfaction andGod’spresence and worship.

Day3:Psalm141It is good to have a regular time of

devotion each day, when we wait in God’spresenceandofferourpraiseand worship. In the midst of a Godless community, the psalmist affirmed his determination to be faithful in his devotionandprayerlife(141:2).

The psalmist became aware of his innertension–thelongingforGodonthe one hand and the distractions of the worldandsinontheother(141:3). He became aware of the awful sinfulness of his heart and of the uncleanness of his lips. Gossip, sharp retorts, boasting, slander, lying, blasphemy andexaggeration(whichisthesameaslying)aresinsofthetongue.

Thedainties/delicaciesmentionedhere are the extra luxuries/benefitsobtained as a result of compromise with evil (141:4). These are offered by those who have no part with God and appeal to the basic instincts and appetites ofmen.Our appetites aregiventousbyGodandHeexpectsustofindsatisfactioninHisprovision.

Alongwith thedainties/luxuriesgoes the companionship of the men whoofferthese(141:4).Eatingattheirtablesignifiesacloserelationshipwiththem.LoyaltytoChristmayclashwithother loyalties.Wemust avoid thetemptation to move into the company of prosperous, godless persons.

Commitment and calling upon Godare important (141:1, 5-10). The latter precedes the former. Christian discipline isnotmerelyself-disciplinebut Spirit discipline. Confessing our helplessness, we must call on the Holy Spirit to control and discipline us.

The springs of thought and will are entrustedtoGod(141:4, 8). The heart is the seat of thought and will and the psalmist offered it to God.

The psalmist committed himself to accept the counsel of godly men though itmighthurt (141:5).God’speople are responsible to admonish andrebukeeachother.

Renunciation is important – thepsalmistrejectedtheanointingofthehead with the perfumed oils which the wickedpourontheheadsoftheguestsattheirbanquets.Onlywhenthereissuchwholeheartedrejectionofevil,canGodkeepus.

DEVOTIONMrBappaMukherjee,Paramaaikyade-addictionclinic,NODIA

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It is a matter of concern that narcotics enforcement has not proved to be the panacea it was

trotted out to be a century earlier. In this presentation I shall attempt to analysewhyNarcoticsLawandEnforcementhavefailedtostemthefloodofnarcotics.

Onpg.30ofGaborMate’sexcellentbook on addiction, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, he quotes a drug userwho says, “I’m not afraid ofdying.SometimesI’mmoreafraidofliving.”

These helpless millions alone have borne the full brunt of Narcotics LawandEnforcementworldwide–ridicule,lossofjobs,unfairrestrictions,electronic surveillance, bullets, electric batons, and all the instruments of an awful, brutal war. In India, of the thousands jailed for drug crimes,most are drug users. Not many big traffickers are behind bars. InAmerica, a drug arrest is made every 19 seconds and not many notorious traffickersareinjails.Onlyaddictsandpathetic peddlers. In concentrating on the hapless addicts and less on the traffickers,enforcementhasfailed.

A few countries – Portugal,Switzerland, Bolivia andMexico –have stopped persecuting addicts enabling their enforcement to have time and resources to go after the important people who profit from narcoticstrafficking.Theirsuccesshasbeen frowned upon by the Narcotics Establishment– theUN,theEUtheUS,UKetc.

This briefly is thehistoryofhownarcotics laws emerged.

26 February 1909 – The FirstInternational Narcotics Conference was held in Shanghai encouraged by USPresidentTheodoreRooseveltandorganisedbyBishopCharlesHBrent– aCanadianEpiscopalianBishop.

Itwasfinancedby theUS.Thirteencountries participated. The idea was to stop cultivation and trade of opium in China. For the previous 70 years or so theBritishhadrammedIndianopiumdown Chinese throats.

The most important of the changes made before the Commission was the bilateral agreement which bound Britaintograduallyeliminateitsopiumsales to China, and bound China to eliminate its own poppy cultivation betweentheyears1908-1917.

Total opium production was supposed to be around 41,600 metric tonnes in 1906/07, almost fivetimes more than global illicit opium production a century later. China produced 85 per cent of this total, India12percent,andPersia,modern-day Iran, accounted for 1.5 per cent. China, on its own eliminated its opium cultivation by 1950, for which successfulenforcementacttheUNistakingcredit!

While the Commissionwas notmandated to provide binding agreements, it still was a great success because it set the stage for the signing ofTheHagueOpiumConventionjustthree years later, which then formally established narcotics control as an element of international law, banning narcoticsexportstocountriesthathaddeclared them illegal.

23 January 1912 –TheInternationalOpiumConventionwassignedatTheHague. Thefirst international drugcontrol treaty was produced here. The Convention provided that, “The contracting Powers shall use theirbest endeavours to control, all persons manufacturing, importing, selling, distributing,andexportingmorphine,cocaine, and their respective salts, as well as the buildings in which these persons carry such an industry or trade.” No mention of drug users, yet only the lowest of the low have been jailedeversince.

Whither Narcotics Law Enforcement

Police attacks ondrugusers hadstarted much before these Conferences. A day after the Hague Convention was authorised,attacksonaddictsbegantobehighlighted in theUS.Thebigtraffickers were arrested only infiction.Itwouldbealmostfivedecadesbeforesomemonstertraffickerswouldbe arrested.

19 February 1925 – InternationalOpiumConventionwas signed atGeneva. The revised Convention introduced a statistical control system to be supervised by a PermanentCentral Opium Board under theLeagueofNations. It also sought toban the cultivationofganja and theproduction of charas (hashish).

Indiaobjected to this, citing socialand religious customs. A compromise was reached by banning exportof Indian cannabis to countries that have prohibited its use and requiring importing countries to issue certificatesapprovingtheimportationand stating that the shipment was required "exclusively formedical orscientificpurposes."Sixtyyears laterthis restraint was removed by an independent India.

All previous agreements and conventions were superseded by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs of theUnitedNations. ThisConvention has several flaws and is increasingly being questioned by countriessuchasBolivia.Unmovedbythecriticism,theUNanditsinfluentialFriends of the Convention still swear by it. This 1961 document laid the basisforanill-informedandmercilesswar, mainly on drug users, which has ruinedmillionsofyounglives.But,thebig traffickers who murder, pillage, profitfromthisheinoustradecontinueto lead safe lives.

Whereisthejusticetheninhavingsuch draconian laws? Is it right that the entire might of about 190 governments and worldwide organisations is

Mr Romesh Bhattacharji, Narcotics Commissioner of India (Retd.)

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concentrated against helpless addicts? The supporters say that every offender, big or small, is included in the laws. Thenhowcomein95%casesonlytheweakandhelplessare rounded up?

A fewLatinAmerican andEuropean countries havestartedchangingtheirnarcoticslawstocorrectthisinjusticein implementation. This growing movement is being labeledas“decriminalisation.”Andasexpected,mostofthecountriesandtheUNareagainstit.

TheWar onDrugswas the inevitable result of thismerciless,un-Christianattitude towardsnarcoticsusers.Manypeoplehadtheir livesruined–first in theUSandthenroundtheworld.In1971theWaronDrugswasstartedintheUSbyPresidentNixon.ItwasapedbytheUNandother member countries later.

IknewaformerUSpoliceofficer,JackCole.HeheadedapolicestationinBoston.SoonafterNixon’sdeclarationofWar onDrugs, every police stationwas flushwithfunds. They were ordered to hire informers, spend money on collecting intelligence and infiltrateUniversities andschoolstotargetstudentusers.Mindyou,thissamekindofenthusiasmwasnotshownfortraffickers.Jackmovedinto a group of about a dozen very intelligent students in BostonUniversity.Nearlyallwere jailed.Amongstthemwere two brilliant chemists who were assisting a Nobel PrizewinnerforChemistry.SeveralyearslaterhemetoneofthembeggingonaBostonstreet.Hislife and talents were so ruined and wasted that he was now both a user and a pusher. The irony is that despite a trillion dollars spent on this war on drugs in 40 years there are more addicts now andmoretraffickingthaneverbefore.OnceJackleftthepoliceforce,hefoundedLawEnforcementAgainstProhibitioninMarch2002.ThemissionofLEAPistoreducethemultitudeofharmsresultingfromfightingtheWaronDrugsandtoultimatelyend drug prohibition. BycriticisingenforcementIamnotsuggesting

that it is a total failure and it ought to be scrapped. Itisavaluablecheck,butthewayitisbeingusedandadministerediswrong.Intheiranxietytoshowimprovedperformancestheofficersgoonlyaftertheweakestandthenumerous.Iftheseweretakenoffthelawbooks,theofficerswouldthenhavetimeand resources to go after large consignments, the mastermindsandtraffickers.

Goaded by the 1961 Convention, India came upwiththeextremelyunforgivingNarcoticsandPsychotropicSubstances Act of 1985. Following the UN’slineofthought,Indiabelievedthatifitslawswere terrifying,narcotics traffickingandmisusewouldbegonewithinafewyears.Deathwasalsoprovided for those offenders who were caught with 1kgofheroinorcocainetwice.Nothingworked.Infactasthe penalties were so high that a person could get 10, 20 yearsordeath, judgeswere so exactinganddemandingthat even an inconsequential slip would lead them to drop well-madecases.

In India the agony was worse for the drug user. In Imphal jailin1991and1996,Isawthatallbuttwoweredrugusers.Someoftheseaddictswereexcellentmusicians,sportsmenand scholars. And there they were sentenced to a life of never-endingdespair.In1994inKolkata’sTollygunjareabeforePuja I saw that all thepettypeddler addictshadbeentakenawaybythepolice.Theywereheldforacoupleof days and after each one of them had paid a hefty bribe they would be released out into the streets where a puria wouldthencostRs.5more.AllthevillagesonIndia’ssideof theborderwithPakistanhavemore thanhalfof theiryouthaddictedtoAfghanheroin.Herethere’ssuchalargeflowofherointhatseizuresareinevitableyetmostofthepeople in jailunderNDPSareonlyusers.Recentlytherewasariot,oneaddictkilled,inKapurthalajailasthelargenumber of addicts there had had their supply of narcotics stoppedbecauseofastricterpolicy.Everywherethestoryisthesame:thewrongpeopleareinjail.In2001,theNDPSActwasamendedtoincreasethesmall

quantity that an addict could carry, even though he would stillbeliabletosixmonthsrigorousimprisonment.Drugusers were given a choice of either going for rehabilitation orgoingtojail.Theonlyproblembeingthatforabout5maddicts there are at most 500 safe, clean and dependable rehabilitationcentresinourcountry.Druguserscontinuetofilljails.

These are the IndianGovernment’s ideas of smallquantities.WearefarbehindcountrieslikePortugalthatprovides 20 gms of heroin for personal consumption of an addict without fear of imprisonment. The Courts there are even more tolerant.

ThepunishmentformanyoffencesundertheNDPSActdepend onthequantityofdruginvolved-withthreelevelsofpunishmentfor small, more than small but less than commercial and commercial quantities.

Amphetamine 2 grams 50 gramsBuprenorphine 1gram 20gramsCharas/Hashish 100grams 1kgCocaine 2 grams 100 gramsCodeine 10grams 1kgDiazepam 20grams 500gramsGanja 1kg 20kgHeroin 5 grams 250 gramsMDMA(Ecstasy) 0.5gram 10gramsMethamphetamine 2 grams 50 gramsMethaqualone 20 grams 500 grams(mandrax)Morphine 5 grams 250 gramsPopyStraw 1kg 50kg

Drug Small Quantity Commercial Quantity

SMALL AND COMMERCIAL QUANTITIES OF IMPORTANT DRUGS

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The NDPS Act 1985, Chapter 15, amended in 2001 decrees that -a. where the contravention involves small quantity, the user can

get rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to Rs 10,000 or both

b. where the contravention involves quantity lesser than commercial quantity but greater than small quantity, with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years and with fine which may extend to Rs. One lakh; … this meansthatauser/peddlerhasnohope!

c. where the contravention involves commercial quantity, with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 10 years but which may extend to 20 years and shall also be liable to fine which shall not be less than Rs. One lakh but which may extend to Rs. Two lakh. To this provision no one ought tohaveanyobjectionasittargetsthebigfish.

Another Section – 39 –provides the courtspowers torelease certain offenders on probation:

-(1) When any addict is found guilty of offences relating to small quantity of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance] and if the court by which he is found guilty is of the opinion, the court may, instead of sentencing him at once to any imprisonment, direct that he be released for undergoing medical treatment for de-toxification or de-addiction from a hospital or an institution maintained or recognised by Government and on his entering into a bond in the form prescribed by the Central Government, with or without sureties, to appear and furnish before the court within a period not exceeding one year, a report regarding the result of his medical treatment.

And this was considered an improvement! This could have been step #1 but it hasbeenstuckatthefirstrungformore

than a decade. There are not enough rehabilitation centres sojailistheonlyalternative,orbuyafalsecertificatefromoneofthemanyNGOsrunningrehabcentresthatarewillingto do this for a large sum.

India’sNWandNEborders–fromonesideitisAfghanheroinandtheothersideisMyanmarheroin.Rightnowdrugusers form themajority of those jailedunder theNDPSAct.

In a few countries now, no addict goes to jail. If inPortugal,s/heisaskedtoreporttothenearestDissuasionCommissionofficewithin72hrs,wheres/heisinterviewedby a doctor, a lawyer and a psychologist, who determine whethers/heshouldatallgoforrehabilitationeven.Anoffender who has transgressed a few times even may be let off with a warning. More serious cases are sent to rehab, butnevertojail.

Thedecriminalisationmovement started 30years agoinSwitzerlandandtheNetherlands.ElevenyearsagothePortuguese introduced it asLaw30/2000andnow it isspreading inLatinAmerica.Atrulyamazingforumwasheld inMexicoCity this year.The International Forum

Adruguserfinisheshis last smokebeforeenteringarehabilitationcentreinLisbon.Eventhis is tolerated for a while as part of rehab techniques.TheGovernmentofPortugalgivesliberal aid to such centres and also runs several of its own.

This airline employee had 1gm of hashish on him outsidearestaurant,andaftertalkingtohimhewasletoff.Nothingonrecordeven.That’sall.

Main recreational facility and dining hall in a rehab centre runby anEvangelicalChurch inLisbon. Itencouragesinmatestokicktheiraddictionsandre-enterlifeasresponsible,employablecitizens.

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A Mishmi girl studying in class X helps her mother extract gum from opium in Raliang village in Hayuliang Circle. This activity has become more daring and commercial in scale but no enforcement agency has the guts to venture this far to uphold the NDPS Act.

“Drugs:ABalancetoaCenturyofTheirProhibition”openedon14February 2012. It was inaugurated bytheMexicanfirstladyMargaritaZavala, the wife of MexicanPresident FelipeCalderón. TheMexican government is keento debate legalisation before implementing it.

M e a n w h i l e , G u a t e m a l a n President Otto Perez Molinaannounced on 11 February 2012 that he would propose drug legalisation in Central America at the nextmeeting of regionalleaders. TheUSpromptly firedback that itwould be a terribleidea, but PerezMolina stuck tohis guns and gained to his cause Salvadoran PresidentMauricioFuneson13February2012.So,themovement spreads.

DebatesondecriminalisationareraginginEuropeandtheAmericas.However,notarippleof ithasbeendetected in India. The new policy has been discussed and implemented but apart from a passing nod to set up rehabilitation centresthere’snohopeforthedrugaddictsthatcontinuetobejailed.Isitpossibletojailalltheaddictsintheworld? It is impossible to jail the 5m in India. It is also impossible for all of them to be rehabilitated. The newpolicy has not recognised this glaring omission. It cannot afford to do so for long for a couple of communities can be wiped

out soon – like the Mishmis ofAnjawDistrict ofArunachalPradesh.

Where is enforcement now? In thousands of locations in India such deals are being made daily but the long arm of the law is not long enough.

And for the addicts there is no rehabilitation provided. Many die because of overdosing.

The l i fe o f a drug addic t i s tough. An addict in India is usually from a poor and broken home. It is therefore pointless tovictimisehimorherbyjailingasisdoneinIndia. Had incarceration reduced addiction, this penal systemcouldhavebeen tolerated.But, year afteryear, drug addiction has only increased, and so hasdrug trafficking. It is time for India to revise its policy of heaping indignity on an already defeated person.

Mr Romesh Bhattacharji,Email: rbhatto@gmail.comAdapted from a presentation made at the 12th National Conference of CACSAN, Goa 22 to 24 February 2012 The life of a drug addict is tough

OpensaleofclothopiuminLohitdistrictofArunachalPradesh

7

Report of the 12th National Conference of Christian Agencies

to Combat Substance Abuse Network (CACSAN)

Introduction

The 12th National Conference of Christian Agencies to Combat Substance Abuse Network

(CACSAN)was held from22 to 24February2012atPanaji,Goa.Based on the Healing Ministry concept of CMAI, the theme of the conference was ‘Care Today, R e w a r d e dT o m o r r o w ’w i t h s p e c i a l focus on women and substance abuse. The aim was to br ing Church leaders, c o u n s e l l o r s , m e d i c a l professionals, organisat ions and individuals i n v o l v e d i n substance abuse p r e v e n t i o n and treatment p r o g r a m m e s t o g e t h e r o n one platform, to help them become better healing agents and identify holistic approaches to deal with specificproblemsofsubstanceabusewithin their own institutions and communities.

The Conference The conferencewas a 2½-day eventconsistingofcommonsessions(paneldiscussions) andworkshops. Eachday started with devotion based on the theme for that day’smainsession. Themajor topics includedConceptualisation of Addiction and Addiction Treatment,Women andSubstanceAbuse,Alcoholics(ACOA&Diet andNutrition) andTobacco.SharingofgoodpracticesfromNGOs

and sharing of life story by a recovered alcoholic were the other highlights.

OnDay1,afterthedevotionbyBappaMukherjee,theeventwasinauguratedbyChiefGuestDrPradeepPadwal(exProjectDirector,GoaSACS).KeymemberslitthelampandFrJoePereiradeliveredthekeynoteaddress.

There was a panel discussion on Concepts and Models of Addiction: ExistingApproaches and Beyond.Dr Roh in i V i r a than was themoderatorofthediscussion.AbhijitNadkarni (Sangath,Goa) spoke onAlcoholUseDisorders:AMedicalPerspectivewhich highlighted themedical and psychosocial aspect of alcohol addiction, early detection and treatment, changes in approach and future aspects. The second presentation was on Beyond theDiseaseConcept by SundarDaniel(AsiaRegionalCoordinator,MicahNetwork) which highlighted theexistence of alternative conceptsbeyond the ‘disease’ aspect ofaddiction. He stated that changes

are possible through personal choice alone or through God, and that treatment options should go beyond theillnessaspectofaddiction.FrJoeHPereira(ManagingTrustee,KripaFoundation) presentedChallengesand Approaches to Addiction and HIV&AIDSbyaddressingtheissuesofaddiction from a holistic perspective, an approach that included treatment not only medically oriented but one that caters to all other aspects of the patient – psycho social, spiritual,etc.

Parallel workshops were heldon Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA) by Fr Johns Abraham(TRADA) andWhither NarcoticsEnforcementbyRomeshBhattacharji(Narcotics Commissioner of India(Retd.)) . Fr Johns spoke about the different problems faced by children of alcoholics, the kind ofpersonalities they could develop, ways to identify such symptoms andguidelines forparents.RomeshBhattacharji spoke aboutNarcoticsLaws,itshistoryandevolutionsinceestablishment and various other aspects of law and enforcement regarding narcotic substances in India.Thethirdworkshopwasonthehealth hazards of tobacco products byDrRohiniVirathan.ThenFr JoePereira led a short yoga session inthe evening.

FrJohnsAbraham

Fr Joe Pereira

Devotion

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Salvation Army, Mizoram

Published byGeneral Secretary Plot no. 2, A-3 Local Shopping Centre Janakpuri, New Delhi 110 058 Phones: (011) 2559 9991/2/3, 2552 1502 Fax: (011)2559 8150 E-mail: cmai@cmai.org, cmaidel@vsnl.com Website: www.cmai.orgCMAI Bangalore OfficeHVS Court, 3rd Floor 21 Cunningham Road Bangalore 560 052 Tel: (080) 2220 5464, 2220 5837 E-mail: cmaiblr@vsnl.comEditorial CommitteeDr (Sr) Joan ChunkapuraDr Rohini VirathanDr Joyce AngamiMr Bejon MisraRev (Dr) Jose PuthenveedDr Bimal CharlesDr Joe VargheseGuest EditorDr Ronald LalthanmawiaE-mail: ronald.l@cmai.orgEditorial CoordinatorMs Jaya PhilipsDesign and ProductionMs Lata AnthonyPrinter: Impulsive Creations

Addiction NewsA CMAI publication on substance abuse and alcoholism

Christian Medical Association of India

OnDay2, theprogrammestartedwithanother inspiringdevotionbyBappaMukherjee. The panel discussionwas onWomen and Substance Abuse. TheafternoonsessionwasonsharingofgoodexperiencesfromtwoNGOsandsharingof life-storybya recoveredalcoholic.TherewasapaneldiscussiononInterventions/ServicesforWomeninSubstanceAbuseToday.

EgaSelhore(SAHARA),spokeonAPortraitofWomenDrugUsers-IssuesandConcerns where she highlighted the current issues about women drug users, the problems facedby them, thedifficultyof rehabilitationanddomesticviolencein relation to substance abuse.AlyssaLPachuau (formerProgrammeOfficer,CMAI)spokeaboutspecificissuesaboutHIV+FIDUsinalocalcontextduringherpresentationonAnExploratoryStudyonHIV+WomenIDUsinChurachandpurTown,Manipur.RevPuthenveedmoderated thepanel discussion. The thirdpresentationwas by SrRoseBaite (FIWDC,Mizoram)which focused on anIntegratedApproachtowardsWomeninSubstanceAbusebyrelatingherownlifeexperiencesworkingwiththesewomeninMizoram.

LakshmiARanesharedaboutrecoveryfrom being an alcoholic, the difficulties for a woman alcoholic mother, co-dependency,thebiggersocialriskswomenundergobeingalcoholicsandthedifficultytheyfacewhilestrugglingonthepathtorecovery.LakshminowworksasaCounsellorinKripa,Bandra,Mumbai.

Therewasalsoashortsessionon‘DietandNutritionofAlcoholics’byDrRohiniVirathan.

Sharing of good practices from NGOsThe first presentation was by Nengkhojam from SHALOM,Manipur.SHALOMisagrass-rootNGOworking for themitigationof negative impact ofHIV andeconomic marginalisation. He shared various good practices imp lemen ted by the NGO suchasnightshelter,FIDUproject.The second sharingwasbyDrRL Sanghluna from PresbyterianHospital,Mizoram.HespokeaboutK-WardwhichprovidestreatmentandservicestoIDUsandshowedapictorialpresentationofabscesscaseswhichare common in the ward.

The latter part of the evening was spent in sightseeing. The delegates visited ChurchofBomJesus,SeCathedral,AguadaLighthouseandMiramarBeach.

On day 3, after devotionb y B a pp a Mukh e r j e e ,t h e ½ d a y p r o g r a m m e started with the morning s e s s i o n l e d b y G e o r g e Zonunsanga from CHAN, Mizoram. This session was on identification of variousways in which the church and community could involve themselves to effectively deal with issues of substance abuse in their own communities. They presented a facilitation model, ways to build relationshipsandhowtodevelopaframework.

DrJoeVarghese,ActingHead,CHD,CMAI,ledthesessiononbuildingafutureplan for CACSAN, where delegates were given the opportunity to come up with strategiesforstrengtheningCACSAN,waysinwhichthenetworkcangrow.

Attendees at the Conference

MsAlyssaPachuau