Jaibans Singh
Punjab has been facing a serious challenge from drug menace for many decades. During the election campaign in 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its principal campaigners like Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann had promised to eradicate the menace of drugs from Punjab in 10 days. After a while they said that they would do so within six months.
In his last promise made in 2023, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that drug menace will disappear from Punjab before the Republic Day, 2024. Now less than one month is left for the promised day and yet there is no end in sight for the drug menace.
Punjab continues to record the highest number of drug over-doze deaths in the country. The worst case came up in mid-June, 2024, when Punjab witnessed 14 drug related deaths in 14 days. Nine of these deaths took place in a single week. The end result is terrible suffering of the people of Punjab. The NHRC has sent notices to the Punjab government and the state’s prison chief over a report that claims 42 per cent of prisoners in its jails are “drug addicts.”
According to a study conducted by the AIIMS and the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre in 2019, published as Magnitude of Substance Use in India-2019, Punjab has the second highest number of people who inject drugs (88,000 out of estimated 8.5 lakhs). The numbers have only grown with time.
The youth of Punjab are today dealing with issues like lack of employment opportunities, bleak prospects for the future, boredom, family tensions, relationship tensions, peer pressure etc. An alarming offshoot is manifestation of drug dependency, particularly in the border areas of the state. Easy availability for drugs of various forms only adds to the problem.
The Drug Cocktail
The state has a thriving intra-state and international drug smuggling, manufacture and delivery system controlled by people within the state, outside of it and from across the border. All types of narcotics are being brought into the region from other states. A large proportion is being produced indigenously. As a result, drugs like opium, cannabis etc. are freely available. Then there are the medical opiates like cough syrup, neuro-toxic tablets etc. Finally those who are desperate indulge in intake of thinner, glue sticks etc.
The most popular drug in Punjab is called Chitta. It is a Heroin based synthetic drug whose chemical name is Diacetylmorphine. It is often described as an adulterated form of Heroin in which many other elements are added to increase potency and reduce the price. It comprises of drugs like Trimethorphim, Megaloblastic, Paracetamol and Dextromethorphan. It comes in the form of a white foil, from where it gets its name. Consumers light a candle below the foil and snort the fumes. It is said that a person gets addicted to the drug within a few days after which, the daily requirement is about two grams and the cost is INR 6000, enough to ruin any middle class family.
The rampant abuse of pharmaceutical drugs, known locally as nasheeli goliyaan (intoxicating tablets), has opened a new front in Punjab’s fight against narcotics addiction. Easily accessible and budget-friendly, these have become the drug of choice for many grappling with addiction.
There is a common perception that all drugs in Punjab are coming from Pakistan and their availability is the result of porous borders. This is a fallacy.
Chitta is produced in Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. Medicinal opiates such as morphine, codeine or benzodiazepine are, very sadly, made available across the counter by Chemists. Their production is localised or in neighbouring states like Himachal through dubious Pharmaceutical companies. Synthetic drugs such as Amphetamine and Ecstasy are said to be coming from Himachal Pradesh. All forms of drugs are also coming from states like Delhi and beyond.
It is very necessary for the internal manufacturing to be curtailed if an impact has to be made on the overall drug supply within the country and more so in Punjab. The urgency is guided by the fact that Chitta abuse is now gaining momentum in Haryana as well as Himachal Pradesh. J&K has been facing the challenge of drugs for a very long time.
The Retail Chain
The most efficient peddlers of drugs are drug addicts themselves. They are most motivated, reliable and ready to take all sorts of risks because of the need for a daily fix. They are used for inter-state operations also. Many policemen have been arrested for being a part of the drug trade or for abetting the trade. Political patronage to the drugs trade is widely alleged. Time and again, many politicians have been accused of patronising the drug trade. Every year thousands of cases are registered and thousands are arrested under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPA), 1985.
The chief minister of Punjab has often spoken of a nexus between smugglers, gangsters and terrorists aimed at promoting narco-terrorism in the state with the raw material coming in from Pakistan. Strangely, despite having this information the state has been unable to arrest a single kingpin or a drug lord. It is reported that the kingpins have political connections or are politicians themselves for which reason they are not being targeted by the police. It is no wonder then that the drug organisations remain intact despite arrests being made at the lower level. Still the chain remains unbroken because the Kingpins remain scot free.
Pakistani Involvement in Drug Proliferation
In Pakistan the drug trade is controlled by its notorious spy agency the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). Drugs are used for generating unimaginable profit that is converted into Narco-dollars and used to finance terrorist and disruptive activities in India, particularly in Punjab and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The drones that Pakistan is using from smuggling purposes are provided by China. China is also instrumental in introducing Methamphetamine and Pseudoephedrine in Punjab which are lethal drugs. It is quite apparent that the two inimical neighbours of India have joined hands in an attempt to weaken the social fabric of the border areas with proliferation of drug addiction.
The geographic location of the state also makes it an important passage for all drugs, such as smack and heroin. This makes the state a soft target for all kinds of addictions, affecting not only those who handle them for smuggling but the common people too.
Drugs are being smuggled to finance and nurture terrorism and disruption. Most of the terrorists behind the recent attacks in J&K were found to be under the influence of drugs, Pakistan proposes to create a similar structure in Punjab too. There is a need to reject all demands being made by some vested interests to allow passage of goods from the trade facilitation centres without proper checks. A clamp down on the internal supply conduits especially in relation to medical opiates is necessary; the drug controlling agencies of the state need to step up their monitoring and control activities with maximum punishment to offenders, more so the Chemist suppliers who, if found guilty of peddling medicines without proper prescriptions, should face suspension of their licenses and jail terms.
De-addiction and Rehabilitation Efforts
In the process of de-addiction there are so many facets of the problem like detoxification, relapse prevention, psychological counselling etc that need specialist intervention. Serious cases have to be transferred post-haste to centres that have advanced facilities.
The state is also short of de-addiction centres, This apart, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had promised to increase the number of Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) clinics in Punjab from 208 to 500. No action has been taken as yet. Most of the times, the addicts land in illegal and unregistered de-addiction centres where they are tortured and not provided the required medical help to kick their addiction. This leads them back to the habit with no hope of return to normal life. Many families are shy of using the facilities (however meagre they may be) due to fear of social ostracism.
The number of de-addiction centres in the state has to be drastically increased especially so in the villages and remote areas where the menace is unchecked. Requisite training needs to be imparted to doctors manning the primary health centres, here the creation of Mohalla Clinics, which may not have expertise of handling drug abuse cases, may pose a major roadblock.
It is quite obvious by now that the state government has neither the means nor the will to create drug addiction centers. It is here that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Punjab can play a big role by seeking central assistance.
It is well appreciated that health come under the state government but the center also has its own medical institutions like the PGI and the AIIMs that can play a big role in drug rehabilitation. Surely the state government cannot stop the PGI and AIIMs from opening satellite centers for drug abuse rehabilitation across the state. Other methods can be found to assist the people who are suffering immensely due to apathy of the state government.
People need to be sensitised about the ill effects of drugs. Families need to be educated to understand that there is a problem and there are means that should be tapped to deal with the same. A conscious effort has to be made to remove the stigma that comes with addiction. People have to be given the confidence that what is happening is essentially a medical problem that can be dealt with professionally.
Notwithstanding all attempts made by respective governments in Punjab to conceal drug abuse, the fact remains that time and again, various think tanks and independent researchers have come out with reports which shed light on the menace and reiterate that adequate action has not been taken to holistically address the menace. There is a need to highlight the lack of foresight and perspective in dealing with this issue.
The lack of urgency in rooting this evil out of the society is leading to a heavy price being paid by the people, especially the younger population. To leave everything to the government is not going to fetch the required dividends in such a serious situation. Society as a whole should join hands with the government to eradicate the hazard.
The people of Punjab have overcome problems far more dangerous and invidious than drug addiction. Given a direction they will garner the will to get over this problem also. What is important is creation of the necessary awareness to face the problem head-on. An integrated approach will produce the desired results.
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