The Higher Education Commission has demanded the federal government to form a policy and provide funds to curb the use of drugs in educational institutes. University students are likely to get tested for drugs on campus.

As per reports, during a meeting of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Science and Technology , it was revealed that more than 76 million Pakistanis are addicted to drugs with most of them being university students.

“University students are increasingly getting attracted towards ice (methamphetamine) and other harmful drugs. The government should devise a policy to stop this,” said committee chairman Mushtaq Ghani.

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The HEC informed the committee about the issuance of guidelines for random drug screenings that will make campuses drug and smoke-free.

“A policy would be needed to start random drug screening for which more human resource as well as testing labs will be required. With our current resources we can’t conduct drug screening tests at all universities,” said an HEC official.

The committee has, therefore, advised the government to issue Rs21 billion for the HEC.

Conducting random drug tests, using peer pressure, signing contracts with NGOs and reaching out to the root of drug trafficking will pull drugs out from their roots, the HEC assured the standing committee.

It was also decided that the Anti-Narcotics Force will be called in the meeting to discuss their opinion on the matter.