Syed Rizwan Geelani
Srinagar, Sep 14: Over the past few years, Jammu and Kashmir has seen a steep rise in the burden of physical, mental and substance-use disorders over the past two decades.
Different studies, surveys and various reports have shown an alarming shift in the pattern of substance use in J&K unlike the past when J&K remained devoid from the problem of addiction for long.
The issue of drug abuse has become grave as the studies have shown a steep increase in the consumption of drugs by youth in different age groups.
The menace of drug addiction is widely spread, fast rising and is quickly taking the form of an epidemic.
A latest study by the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) Kashmir, Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar has stated that the places where a bus cannot go, the deadly drugs reach.
As per the study, the scientific data based on community surveys on drug related problems in Jammu and Kashmir show that deaths have started occurring directly due to over dosages, convulsions, and cardiac arrests and indirectly road traffic accidents.
The study done by IMHANS has found that over two-third of patients start substance abuse in the age group of 11-20 years.
As per the study Nicotine addiction figures on the top as the survey has found that the most common substances of abuse identified included nicotine (94.4%), medicinal opioids (65.7%), cannabis (63.6%) and benzodiazepines (45.5%).
The study has found that 43.4 percent addicts consume other prescription medications, alcohol (32.5%), inhalants (11.1%), and cocaine (7.5%) while poly-substance abuse was found in 91.9 percent of the studied patients.
Earlier, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in its report revealed that there was an increase by 35 percent in drug abuse cases in 2021 as compared to the cases registered in 2020.
The NCRB report revealed that 1,222 cases under NDPS, 1985 act were registered in J&K in 2020, however, the number has increased to 1,681 in 2021.
Earlier, in a report by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on the magnitude of substance abuse in the country, J&K was placed at 5th spot and the UT has more than six lakh people affected by drug abuse.
The figures have set alarm bells ringing for the J&K government to control the use and peddling of drugs. However, the J&K government is equally committed to control the menace and is taking serious efforts to keep youth of all age groups away from the substance abuse.
Various campaigns and awareness programmes have been launched by the government to come up with out of box solutions to handle the situation.
Besides, the draft drug de-addiction policy of the government has also come up with a ‘4As strategy’ to eradicate the menace of drug abuse in Jammu and Kashmir.
The strategy has focused on increasing Awareness, restricting Availability to drugs, increasing Affordability and Accessibility to treatment programmes.
If implemented in letter, these strategies can act as the remedies to eradicate the menace of drug abuse in J&K.
The awareness programmes targeting entire communities and high risk populations can focus on enhancing the protective factors and reducing the modifiable risk factors in the individuals and their environment.
The Availability to drugs should be restricted which can be achieved by enforcing the already existing laws vigorously and checking their compliance at regular intervals.
The de-addiction policy has called for promotion of activities that protect against substance abuse.
While the draft drug de-addiction policy has suggested certain measures to overcome the problems, the situation in J&K has turned from bad to worse as there are various factors associated with the substance abuse.
The drug addiction usually leads to drug peddling and the menace perpetuates.
The IMHANS study has stated that the enormity of the problem can be gauged from the fact that those seeking help themselves or because of their families only represent the tip of the iceberg. (Greater Kashmir)
