Modi links drug money and terror

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday spoke against drug abuse and said the money used to buy drugs could be funding terrorist activities.

"Sometimes I want to ask the youth who indulge in drugs that maybe you experience a different world when you take drugs. But have you ever asked where the money you buy your drugs with goes?" he said in his monthly radio address 'Man Ki Baat'.

"Have you thought ... what if this money reaches terrorists and they buy arms using them? And using them, they kill our soldiers?

"Have your ever thought that maybe the bullet that has hit a soldier was bought from some percentage of the money you paid to buy your drugs?" Modi said, urging the youth to reject drugs.

"Have the courage to say 'no' (to drugs) and reject drugs. Tell your friends the same."

The prime minister said that drug abuse brings "darkness, destruction and devastation" and suggested measures, including a special helpline and a social media campaign, to tackle the menace.

"I had said the last time that I was worried about the youth of the country. I am worried as some sons and daughters get stuck with drugs and the entire family is torn apart.

"It can destroy very good families. Drugs is something that can shatter anyone. "This is a psycho-social medical problem and cannot be solved only through medical means," he said.

The prime minister said many people had come out of this habit and urged celebrities and people connected with public life to create awareness.

"We can try and have a movement #DrugFreeIndia."

Modi urged parents to study the changes happening in their children and try to save them.

The prime minister said he shared his thoughts on drug abuse with police officers at a recent conference and asked them deliberate on the issue and think of a solution.

"I also suggested that we should start a toll-free helpline so that parents from across the country ... can share their problems."