We often look outside for solutions. We blame systems. Schools. Society. Peer groups. However, the uncomfortable truth is this: The first line of defense is not the police. Not the government. Not even the school.It is us. The parents. A drug-free Jammu & Kashmir cannot be built in clinics or campaigns alone. It must begin in our homes. Seriously. Consistently. Honestly.

We cannot tell our children not to smoke while holding a cigarette in our own hands. We cannot warn them about addiction while asking them to bring cigarettes from the shop. These are not small acts. They are silent permissions. Children do not learn from what we say. They learn from what we do. Every time we normalize smoking, substance use, or casual misuse of medicines, we weaken the boundary we are trying to build.

Let us ask ourselves a few hard questions. Do we know where our children spend their time? Do we know who they spend it with? Do we know where the money we give them actually goes? Pocket money without accountability is not generosity. It is........

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