Drugs and Alcohol: Growing problem in India

According to the Indian government data, 10 persons die daily due to drug and alcohol consumption. With this, I think you may estimate the position of India in alcohol and drug abuse.

The report submitted by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) showed the positions of different states of India that leads in alcohol and drug consumption.

NCRB puts Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala on the top. According to NCRB, 3,647 suicide cases are observed in the year 2014 in India due to alcohol and drug abuse. Use of illicit drugs is increasing day by day in India. This is a matter of concern.

Out of 3,647 cases, 1,372 are reported in Maharashtra, 552 in Tamil Nadu, 475 in Kerala and 38 in Punjab. This is according to national data; however there are almost all the states of India in which such cases are also observed. These states include Telangana, Tripura, Delhi, and Mizoram.

Well, if we look towards the whole data then about 25,000 people has been died since 2004 to 2014 due to drug and alcohol consumption. Even due to this serious prediction, people are not getting how much drug and alcohol are harmful for them.

They don’t care of it but I think they should do care, not for them but at least for their family.

This number is still increasing. In 2006, world drug report observed that thee are 16 millions addicted of opium worldwide. United states present this world drug report.

And in the year 2004, United Nations office on drug and crime (UNDOC) and Indian government reported that India has 9 millions of cannabis addict, 2 millions of opium addicts. That’s really surprising.

Although, this was estimated in the year 2004 and no doubt it has reached at higher level at present. Opium and cannabis widely cultivated in India. This is also the reason why people easily find it and become addicted to it.

You must think that if these are illicit drugs so why India cultivated them. But this cultivation is not done for consumption in early days.

Initially, people even don’t know that they can consume it. This cultivation is done for medicinal purpose only. This cultivation was started by the mughal emperor Babur and later opium imported to china in early 18^th century. In the 19^th century people had started consuming it.

In India, children are taking heroin, opium, propoxyphene and cannabis. These are common drugs amongst the children. Various studies are going on to estimate the exact status of drug abuse in India. Alcohol and drug consumption is severely increased amongst the youngsters. Report of a survey figured that the heroin users in India are mostly below the age of 20 yrs.

Children and youngster take these drugs through the injection. All of them used same needle for the drug which increased the chance of HIV in the youngsters and children. These injections are generally taken in the cocktail parties.

2 Government policies for drugs control in India

Government has made several policies for the control of drugs in India. Indian government has passed many laws for preventing the consumption of illicit drugs. In the year 1930, an act was enacted to control the drug abuse.

This act is called as the Dangerous Drugs Act. This act regulates the control over manufacturing, sale, possession and cultivation of drugs that are derivation of hemp, coca and poppy plant.

After this The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 was enacted to regulate the use of medicinal drugs such as cannabis and opium. This law has gone along with the dangerous drugs act. After this Indian parliament has enacted a new law called as the narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances act, 1985 (NDPS act).

This law prevents the manufacturing, possession, sale, export, import, consumption and use of psychotropic and narcotic drugs. This regulation is not for medical and scientific purpose.

Three types of substances are covered under this law- psychotropic substance, narcotic substance and other psychotropic substance such as ketamine.

This law was given presented in the Lok sabha and is passed by the parliament. This act has revised thrice in the year 1988, 2001 and in 2014.this law is implemented to all the Indians inside and outside the India.

The prevention of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances act is enacted by the parliament of India in the year 1988. This law is passed to fully enforce the narcotic dugs and psychotropic substances act 1985.

The Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) is an Indian agency that combats the drug trafficking and illicit drug abuse. This bureau was set up on 17 March 1986.This bureau also helps in fully implementation of NDPS Act.

Wide variety of drugs is mentioned in the NDPS act that is banned in India and their use is a punishable offence.

Here are the drugs mentioned under this act:

Alfentanil
Acetorphine
Allobarbital
Alphameprodine
Acetyldihydrocodiene
Allyprodine
Aminorex
Alprazolam
Bezitramide
Betamethadol
Betacetylmethadol
Betameprodine
Clonitazene
Cocaine
Cannabis
Coca
Dextropropoxyphene
Dimepheptanol
Difenoxin
Etonitazene
Ecgonine
Etorphine
Ganja
Hydromorphone
Heroin
Levorphanol
Metazocine
Metopon
Myrophine
Norcodiene
Normorphine
Opium
Oxycodone
Pethidine
Phenazocine
Poppy straw
Phenoperidine
Racemorphan
Thebaine
Tobacco
Psilocybine
Tenocyclidine
Mecloqualone
Dronabinol
Zipeprol
Cathine
Clobazam
Camazepam
Diazepam
Ethinamate
Ketazolam
Lorazepam
Halazepam
Mesocarb
Nitrazepam
Oxazolam
Pipradrol
Prazepam
Triazolam
Terazepam etc.

If a person violates NDPS Act then he will punished on the basis of quantity of illicit substances.

If a person is captured with the small quantity (less than 1 kg) then he will imprison for 6 months and also charge with the fine of Rs. 10,000 or more.
If a person captured with the quantity more than the small but less than the commercial quantity then he may sentenced Imprisonment of 10 years or a fine of Rs. 1 lakh or both.
If the quantity is more than the commercial quantity then he may imprisoned more than 10 years which may also extend to 2o years. A fine of Rs. 1 or 2 lakh may also be charged.

3 Top states in India with growing drugs problem

As I said before, statistical study shows that 25,000 people have been committing suicide since 2004 to 2014 in India. It means about 2,500 people dies ever year, 210 people dies in a month and 7 people dies per day.

All these suicidal cases are the consequences of crime occurs due to alcohol and drug abuse in India. And the number of suicidal case has increased to 149%. Ministry of social justice and empowerment of India estimated that country has 3.4 millions of illicit drug users.

Among the 3.4 million, 0.3 millions people are from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and Manipur. Drug abuse is rapidly increasing in India. Even some pharmaceutical products contain illicit drugs. These products also lead to drug abuse. Cough syrup contain codeine are also available in the market.

All this increase the problem of drug usage in India. Drug abuse causes suicide in Kerala more than that of Punjab. Afeem (hashish) is widely used amongst the youngsters of Punjab.

This is because drug smuggled from Afghanistan through the Indian border (in Punjab) towards the west. Another drugs like opium, ganja and charas come through another states such as Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan etc.

Opium grows in India that also leads to drug trafficking. According to national crime record bureau data of 2013, alcohol kills about 15 people every day. About 500 liquor shops are closed by the chief minister in Tamil Nadu.

Bihar banned the production and consumption of alcohol in April. Death rate due to alcohol consumption has increased in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and in Tamil Nadu.

Due to increased rate of drug and alcohol consumption, crime rate has also increased in India. This also lowers down the standard of living of the person.

About 1,699 people have died in the year 2014 in Mumbai due to use of illicit liquor. In the year 2015, use of illegal liquor has taken 100 lives in Mumbai. Use of heroin is widely increased in metro cities. Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram state are the source of pure form of heroin.

However, this is little difficult to estimate the exact number of drug users. Drug abuse is also increased in teens in west Bengal followed by the Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Amritsar (Punjab) is at first position in drug abuse which is followed by the Pune (Maharashtra) and Kochi (Kerala).

4 How does society and culture aids drugs and alcohol issues?

Whenever we see a victim of drug abuse, we thought that he himself responsible for his condition. His craving nature for drugs and alcohol is only the reason behind his dreadful condition. He creeps towards his death.

These drugs work as slow poison for him. We all criticize these activities but we never thought about the root cause behind it.

This is right that a person is somewhat responsible for his condition but he is not totally responsible. Many causes are also responsible for pushing him in this ditch. Now you must be thinking of other reasons.

Let me tell you that society and culture also aids in this drug and alcohol issues.

Alcoholism is generally starts through parties. Let make this simple, suppose you attend a party and you are offered some drinks by the host then what you suppose to do. People generally take it. This is an initial point for them.

Because youngsters are generally indulged in party, so they easily get trap in this alcoholism.

This shows that social interactions forced them more as compared to their sense organs. There is also an association of rituals in drugs and alcohol use. People in Italy and France take wine at the dinner time.

Some people think that they are taking fewer amounts of alcohol and drugs as compared to another person. But what can be called as normal drinking. After all drugs directly affect the mental state of the person, so it doesn’t matter whether the quantity is less or more.

In early days, people also thought that drugs are for lower standard person and alcohol for high standard person. But this perception is changed, as now this varies from age to age. Teens and kids involvement are more than that of adults.

Person from age 15 to 25 are involved more in these activities. This also varies on the standard of living of the person. Lower class persons get easily involved in it through their schools, colleges and friend circle.

Nowadays, experts are worrying about the polydrug use amongst the people. A person use more number of drugs in a short period of time is called as polydrug use.

Some professional think that socio-culture activities are not responsible for the condition of a drug abuse person. A person has his own decisions. He may choose between right or wrong.

In early days, opium and heroin users are only considered as addictive in US but now you can see all type of addiction including alcohol in US.

But how can be detecting that a particular type of drug enslave a person. And how can be predict that only illegal drugs may cause addiction, as in America, legal drugs like nicotine and alcohol also kills thousands of people every year.

Debate is going on worldwide on the drug and alcohol consumption. However, high taxes are taken by the federal government on alcohol and drugs every year. One side government officials take profit of it and another side they are debating on it. Well, this is surprising.

This is true that illegal drugs are dangerous for one’s life and not every one use this, as it is punishable offence but what will we do with these legal drugs. It is estimated that people are more addicted to these legal drugs as they easily get them through the society.

So, we can not totally deny it that society and culture play major role in one’s addiction.

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Renu Prajapati

Editor at Health Love

Renu is an enthusiastic and cheerful young writer, who has a 'never give up' attitude. She likes to explore and widen the horizons of her explorations.