DURING the last 78 years of existence the country has gone through many trials and tribulations like wars, terrorism, natural disasters like earthquakes, floods and landslides.
Some of these disasters were natural and many were manmade or the result of bad leadership or personal greed of our rulers. Now we are faced with a new calamity of gigantic proportions that is the scourge of drug addiction in our youth across the length and breadth of the country. So far the country has managed to battle all calamities with courage and fortitude resulting in victory in many cases but this new threat of drugs is not really being taken seriously and the danger is increasing every day with this monster making steady progress and taking control of even the educational institutions and the malignant tumor of drug addiction is now growing by leaps and bounds with no serious attempts to check its progress.
The new crisis of drug addiction or the drug war has spread across the streets, homes schools, colleges and universities and Drug abuse and addiction has now assumed the proportions of a national emergency. According to a recent survey about 7 million people use drugs with about 5 million as confirmed addicts resulting in the death of over 700 people every day from drug related causes or 250000 deaths are caused every year and yet there does not appear any serious attempt at the national level to do something about this creeping menace.In Pakistan, the alarming rise in drug addiction is evident, with more people succumbing to substance abuse than falling victim to terrorist attacks. The use of potent narcotics like heroin, cocaine, and other substances like hashish is widespread.
Drugs easily available on the streets of the country are Heroin, cannabis, methamphetamine (ice) opioids and a toxic mix of over the counter medicines like benzodiazepines and DXM laced cough syrup are freely available without a doctor’s prescription. Most of the drugs come in through the open borders with Afghanistan which is the Number One producer of Opium in the world, and there is hardly any domestic control or regulation so that even prescription drugs are available at all chemist shops no questions asked. Heroin and ice prices have dropped drastically on the streets of the country so that they are now within reach of the jobless youth of the country. The price of deadly drugs has now dropped from Rs5000 to only Rs 500 per gram and not surprisingly addiction is spreading like a wild fire in the younger generation. The youth are falling easy prey to the deadly disease of drug addiction because of academic stress, peer pressure, social isolation and lack of information and practically no support for mental health issues.
The increase in drug addiction has also increased the incidence of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C because of the use of shared needles for injecting drugs according to a recent report the HIV positivity in drug addicts rose from 11 percent in 2005 to 40 percent in 2011. Drug addiction is no longer just a social evil it has now become a national crisis that demands immediate attention of the Govt. With the rise in drug addiction there is a heavy spike in crimes, domestic violence, and joblessness. Drug abuse is a social stigma and families mostly hide their children from society instead of seeking professional help and then the problem becomes impossible to deal with.In Pakistan, the total number of drug addicts as per a UN report is 7.6 million, 78% of whom are male, while the remaining 22% are female.In December 2018, the Minister of State for Interior, Government of Pakistan, in a press conference stated that more than fifty percent of students in educational institutions in Islamabad, the capital territory, were abusing drugs and ordered a crackdown against the drug mafia. Such a statement from a high ranking Govt. official was alarming and it was challenged by many as being too exaggerated.Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world with a population of almost 208 million (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 2017). It is also one of the youngest countries in the world where 64 percent population is below the age of 29 (UNDP, 2017).
Youth particularly is more vulnerable to drug addiction because of curiosity to experiment with new things, peer pressure. Although no official statistics of drug addiction are available in Pakistan, several estimates indicate an alarming increase in the number of addicts over the last few years.
A survey conducted by the South Asia Strategic Stability Institute presented in the Senate Standing Committee on Interior had claimed that 53 percent of students of elite private schools were addicted to drugs. Drawing on in-depth interviews with university students in Pakistan, this study explores the processes that lead to drug addiction, and how it affects their academic and social lives. Failure to pay due attention to this problem not only exposes young individuals to serious health risks, but also adversely affects the socioeconomic development of the country as a whole.
The malaise of drug addiction is not only confined to Pakistan as many neighboring countries, including Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, and Nepal are facing the problems related to drug addiction notes that in Pakistan drugs are mainly transported from Afghanistan that produces and supplies at least 75 percent of the world’s heroin. Further, more than three million Pakistanis between 15 and 64 years use heroin regularly and there are almost five million cannabis users addicted to smoking high-grade Cannabis. Globally 1 in 20 adults is a drug addict.
—The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.
