Drug abuse: A growing concern
Mubashir Azmat
‘Addiction is an adaptation; it’s not you it’s the cage you live in’ (Johann Hari)
Drug addiction or drug abuse is a disorder characterized by excessive use of drugs that are harmful to our body. Drug addiction has become a major growing menace of the modern world.
People from different age groups become the victims of this menace, particularly teenagers. There are a variety of harmful drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, heroin etc which are constantly damaging the mental well-being of the youngsters. It is not only causing severe health problems but is a major cause of growing crime rates, because when these drug addict victims don’t have money to buy it, they often indulge in criminal acts as well.
And this menace of drug addiction is also a rising concern in Kashmir as well. A recent report has shown that in the past three years Kashmir has witnessed a 1500% increase in drug abuse.
A United Nation Drug Control Program (UNDCP) report in 2020 revealed that around 70,000 people, including 4000 women, in Kashmir were addicted to drugs. According to a survey conducted by the ministry of social justice and empowerment in Feb 2019, 600’000 people i.e 4.6% of total population of Jammu and Kashmir used opioid drugs, while 80% of the drug addicts in Kashmir use heroin and morphine.
It is very important to mention here that the rate of drug addiction is growing day by day in Kashmir especially among students (both male and female). It is very shocking that the children are also falling prey to drug abuse in Kashmir.
All the figures show that Kashmir is grappling with drug addiction as a huge chunk of the population has become drug addicts. This abuse in Kashmir is raising alarm bells for doctors and parents, who foresee a doomsday scenario if the problem is not nipped in the bud.
Nearly 7500 addiction cases had been seen in 2020 at GMC Srinagar, and in 2021 over, 13500 people abusing various drugs have been registered. As per the statistical analysis of people reporting and registering for treatment, nearly 80 percent are abusing Heroin through needles and all these things are leading the youth of Kashmir towards destruction. Thus the main pillars of the future of Kashmir are being destroyed by drug addiction because youth play a vital role in the development of the society.
There are many factors or causes which force people to indulge in drug abuse. One of them is the environment because environment plays a vital role in developing drug dependence. Because the environment influences behavior, if a child grows up in a society or family with a drug addict, it’s highly possible that he is going to struggle with drugs too. Other factors which can contribute to drug addiction include the following:-
Abuse of drugs among friends and peers:- Investigation into the matter is uncovering the role peer pressure plays in influencing decisions and habits. Results from multiple studies confirm the idea that peer pressure can sway people into doing or participating in something they normally wouldn’t. Whether its drug use or exercise, peer pressure encourages people to alter their behaviors.
Lack of social support :- Socially stigmatized populations experience higher prevalence of social isolation and substance use disorders. Lower social support is linked with higher lifetime alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco use in a prison inmate sample.
Troubled relationships:- Generally young people often fall into this menace after getting disheartened in their relationships . They take this wrong path in order to relieve their emotional pain.
Unemployment: One of the major causes which gave rise to drug abuse among youngsters in Kashmir is unemployment. Jammu and Kashmir UT has an unemployment rate of 22.2%. Jammu and Kashmir has second highest unemployed graduates and post graduates. All this causes anxiety and depression among youth and they indulge in this menace to escape their painful reality and it’s well said that “An idle men’s mind is a devil’s workshop.’
There is a great need to curb drug addiction among the youth of Jammu and Kashmir. In order to curb this menace the first and foremost step which the government of Jammu and Kashmir should take is that they have to take a strict and rigorous action against drug peddlers, who make these substances easily accessible in the society.
Parents also have a vital role to play in order to curb this menace. They should adopt friendly and loving behaviour with their children, who are victims of this bad habit. They should try to increase their morale and confidence that they can abandon this evil.
Parents should also approach medical professionals in this regard in order to know the real push of stress and anxiety and way out from this menace as well. NGO and social activists should organise seminars and awareness programs in order to make the general masses aware about its negative consequences on body, mind and society. The government should also increase job opportunities in order to eradicate the stress and depression of unemployment among the youth.
(The author is pursuing a law degree at Aligarh Muslim University)
