# CJI Surya Kant: child drug abuse is protection issue, not just health 2026-09-26T20:11:17+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday said substance abuse among children must be treated as a child-protection issue, not merely a public health concern. Addressing a seminar in Patna, he said children seeking help should not face humiliation, stigma or exclusion, or the rehabilitation system itself will drive them into silence. Citing an August 2026 study in The Lancet Regional Health, Southeast Asia, the CJI noted that more than one in five teenagers in India are at moderate-to-high risk of substance use. He called for a child-sensitive approach across police, hospitals, schools, families and courts, and said the law must respond firmly to those who exploit children but focus on safety, treatment and counselling for child victims. The CJI also held an open dialogue with students of Chanakya National Law University in Patna. This was his first such interaction after recent student opposition at NALSAR Hyderabad and NLSIU Bengaluru to having him at their convocations. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both Deccan Herald and Hindustan Times report the CJI's remarks verbatim with no editorial slant, producing straight neutral-report coverage. The core news is the CJI's reframing of child drug abuse from a health problem to a protection problem, a shift with direct implications for how police, courts and child-care institutions handle cases. The Lancet figure of one in five teenagers at risk gives the issue statistical weight. The next concrete step is how the judiciary and agencies operationalise the 'child-sensitive' approach the CJI outlined. ## Coverage - deccanherald.com (neutral report) Straight report of CJI speech and Lancet study, no slant. - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Straight report of CJI speech and Lancet study, no slant. Tags: Lancet, Patna, Supreme Court of India, Surya Kant Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/cji-surya-kant-child-drug-abuse-is-protection-issue-not-just-health/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/cji-surya-kant-child-drug-abuse-is-protection-issue-not-just-health/#story-in-brief