War on drugs

Almost 15 years ago, Raghu Raman, a bright student, began smoking marijuana with friends, as many in his age group do, when he entered college. But within months, he graduated to multiple mainline drugs and became addicted to “brown sugar,” an adulterated form of heroin. Despite several rehabilitation efforts, he was unable to give up the habit.

With help from his friends and family, Raghu was put in an intensive de-addiction program that lasted over two years. He finally became drug free and today, Raghu, 35, is, of all things a counselor at de-addiction camps.

“It was a miraculous turn around. The cold turkey period was painful but I am out it all and leading a normal life and helping others to lead normal lives as well,” he told Deutsche Welle.

Awareness: the need of the hour

The recent unveiling of a national policy in India to combat the drug menace that affects up to 272 million people in the working age group has thus come as a “shot in the foot” for law enforcement agencies and those working in rehabilitation.

At the Muskan Foundation, a drug de-addiction and rehabilitation center in Delhi, the full implications of the new policy has yet to sink in.

“If this means a shift in treatment from detox and rehab to substitution therapy and humane treatment of patients in such centers, then it is welcome,” one counselor said.

The government hopes the implementation of the provisions of the policy will lead to the reduction of crime and improvement in public health.

"The national policy presents evidence of India’s strong commitment and intent to rise to the challenges posed by the drug menace," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said while releasing the policy document earlier this week.

Drug abuse and addiction is on the rise throughout India. According to recent surveys, India has at least seventy million drug addicts. A United Nations report released in 2010 suggested that 1 million heroin addicts are registered in India, and unofficially there are as many as 5 million.

“I am so happy that a policy is finally out. At least we now have a roadmap which has vision and we can confront the problem of drugs,” Rajiv Walia, project coordinator with the UN Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) told Deutsche Welle. His organization provided vital input while drafting the policy.

Drug abuse on the rise

More than 80 percent of heroin addicts in India are between 12 and 25 years of age. And the abuse of drugs, studies show, has been found not just in the urban centers of the country but also in the rural hinterland.

Strangely enough, even in conflict ridden Kashmir, drug use amongst youth has been on the rise.

“Kashmir has lost its innocence. According to statistics, users are mostly in the 18-35 age group and deaths are reported in young men because of opioid use,“ a psychiatrist from the government run Psychiatric Diseases Hospital in Srinagar told Deutsche Welle on condition of anonymity. The hospital is the only hospital for mental health in the whole of Kashmir.

In addition, the introduction of synthetic drugs and intravenous drug use has added a new problem to the dimension, especially in the Northeast states of the country: the rise of HIV/AIDS.

According to the UNODC, party drugs like ecstasy are also becoming an emerging threat in bigger cities like New Delhi and Mumbai. These drugs are a combination of psychoactive drugs that have stimulant and hallucinogenic qualities and are similar to other street drugs known for causing brain damage.

With a much-needed policy now in place, India braces itself to face the menace of drug trafficking and also combat abuse. The benefit to regulatory authorities and other stakeholders is keenly anticipated.

Author: Murali Krishnan
Editor: Sarah Berning