95% of all drug addicts are under 25: Narcotics Control Bureau

‘Youth’ is overrated. They are impatient, always short of time and with enough disposable income to snort, and smoke, their short lives away. They are seen as the ‘future of the nation’ but an increasing populace succumbing to drugs is robbing capabilities they possess that can shape country’s tomorrow.

About 95% of all drug addicts in India are under 25 years of age, and even worse is the fact that about 33% of them are students, suggests a study conducted by narcotics control bureau. Teenagers are the most under-influence here, with a large fraction of puffing their first joint at 15.

Kicking in early
“These teenagers start with easily available drugs like marijuana (ganja) and then graduate to hashish (charas) and cocaine for that ‘kick’,” said Hari Om Gandhi, NCB’s zonal director. “Our study suggests that 95% of drug addicts are under 25; 33% of them are students. Labourers, migrant workers, autorickshaw drivers also use drugs to relieve their tension and loneliness.”

And as students cannot afford the expensive drugs, they opt for cheaper alternatives that can range from over-the-counter prescription drugs, synthetics, ethers and esters. These are easily available at home or at the grocery/stationery/medicine store across the street. “They use sleeping pills, cough syrup, glue,  whitener, nail polish and other products that contain Amphetamine (a stimulant) in their composition. They generate many psychological effects, including euphoria and increased energy,” said Gandhi, who has busted several illegal laboratories in Ankleshwar, Bharuch and Vadodara producing synthetics.

De-addiction is difficult
In fact, it’s nearly impossible to get youngsters sober again, once they have fallen into the drug mess at an early age. “Hardly 10% of all addicts sent to rehabilitation centres are able to stay away from drugs (after treatment). They start again, as their parents cannot always keep a close watch on them,” said Gandhi.

Doctors, too, echo Gandhi’s opinion. “Youngsters experiment with drugs due to peer pressure. Since weed is cheaper, they manage to buy it with their pocket money, but soon are into stealing to fund their need for more expensive drugs like cocaine,” said Dr Himanshu Desai of Gujarat Nashabandi Mandal. “By the time parents realise about their child’s addiction, it is too late. This is the reason why it’s very difficult to achieve high success ration in de-addiction.”

Doctors are doing their bit to curb to control the cancer that is drug abuse, but are successful in only 5% to 10% of the cases. There are several de-addiction centres and hospitals in the city that administer treatment and counselling for drug abuse. Over 300 registered psychiatrists in the state help in the endeavour…

Awareness, and not medicines, is needed to fight drugs; otherwise, it won’t be too long before our young are snuffed out.