Drug abuse eating into vitals of our nation

It is high time the politicians give top priority to issues that are eating into the basic fabric of the society, discuss and find workable non-intellectual solutions to the problems such as alarmingly increasing use of Opiods, sedatives and inhalants by children in the age group of 10-17 years.

A parliamentary committee in its report, titled ‘Drug abuse among young persons: Problems and solutions,’ expressed shock over the fact that the menace of drug addiction was spreading fast even among adults and young adults

There are two issues that are posing the highest risk to future generations. One is the drug menace and the other is air pollution. Both are reducing the life span of the future generations and India, which is already facing demographic challenges and may turn a country with a high rate of senior citizens, will also be facing irreparable loss of dynamic human resources. Among the worst affected states, according to the report, Telangana tops the list of Southern states, followed by Andhra Pradesh with over 17 lakhs of its adult population consuming drugs, the report stated.

When it comes to children aged 10-17 years, over 3.19 lakh of them are resorting to illegal substances – the highest being opioids taken by 1.36 lakh children. Opioids are a broad group of pain-relieving medicines that work with your brain cells. They can be made from the poppy plant – for example, morphine or opioids can be made in a laboratory. Opioids are commonly prescribed by doctors to treat persistent or severe pain. In Telangana, the highest addiction is of opioids consumed by 98,000 children, said the report.

Karnataka lies third on the list with 13.58 lakh of its adult population turning to drugs, the highest again being opioids (6.39 lakh people). A total of 2.19 lakh children in the state are also consuming illicit drugs, the report stated. In Tamil Nadu, as many as 10.07 lakh adults are hooked on drugs, while in neighbouring Kerala, 9.82 lakh people consume these banned substances.

Among the worst affected states are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, NCT of Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The situation among adults aged 18-75 years is equally bad in these States.

Though there is an urgent need to arrest this trend of consumption of drugs among the children and adults, none of the political parties speaks about it.

No one considers this as important issue. What matters is caste census, Adanis, Constitution in danger, Mohabbat ki Dukan etc. We don’t hear any demand to discuss such issues.

What is more worrying, as well as startling, is the drug-use patterns reported in children and teens aged between 10 and 17 years. Inhalants are taken by 71,000 children, amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) by 46,000, and sedatives by 36,000, the report added. Hence, it is time the BJP-led NDA government at Centre, the Congress party and bloc INDIA led by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi should think of such issues to highlight in the ensuing Parliament session and put issues like ‘Constitution Khatre mein hai’ and ‘Adani being protected by Modi’ etc., on back burner for some time and come up with solutions to protect the country’s youth from turning into drug addicts. It is time, the entire political spectrum strives for a Nasha Mukt Bharat. Governments should undertake on a war-footing preventive education and awareness generation, capacity building, treatment and rehabilitation, focussed intervention in vulnerable areas, rehabilitation, and even livelihood support, of ex-drug addicts.