DRUG ABUSE

It refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The
term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency. The terms have a huge range of definitions
related to taking a psychoactive drug or performance enhancing drug for a non-therapeutic or
non-medical effect. All of these definitions imply a negative judgment of the drug use in
question (compare with the term responsible drug use for alternative views). Some of the drugs
most often associated with this term include alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates,
benzodiazepines, cocaine, methaqualone, and opioids. Use of these drugs may lead to criminal
penalty in addition to possible physical, social, and psychological harm, both strongly depending
on local jurisdiction. Other definitions of drug abuse fall into four main categories: public health
definitions, mass communication and vernacular usage, medical definitions, and political and
criminal justice definitions.

Worldwide, the UN estimates there are more than 50 million regular users of heroin, cocaine
and synthetic drugs.

DRUG ADDICTION
Drugs addiction is harmful not only for the addicted but also has negative impact on the fabric
of the society. The effects of such an addiction can cause dangerous changes in the mind, body
and spirit of the drug addict. The most disturbing aspect of drug addiction is that it is reaching
epidemic proportions in the whole world. People in our part of the world are increasingly
becoming addicted to all kinds of drugs including street drugs and prescription drugs etc.

Street drugs include cocaine, heroin and crack, marijuana and meth, while prescription drugs
include those such as Valium, OxyContin, Percocet and Ritalin etc. The price of drugs can be
very heavy. Simple ill-effects of such addiction include physical itchiness, coma and even
premature death. On the other hand, the psychological ill effects can make a person completely
dependent on taking drugs in order to survive.

Drugs addiction is a very serious problem and even if the addict is using prescribed drugs, the ill
effects can be very harmful indeed. It is, therefore, important that the government takes
administrative, legal and policy measures that put an end to the menace of drug addiction. The
right kind of information can help the addict avoid overdosing and it can also prevent medical-
related complications.

The ill effects of addiction to drugs can be very difficult to endure, which is why the addict must
be treated for their condition at the earliest. A lot of research is being done on how addiction to
drugs harms people and societies. An individual that takes drugs will expect certain changes to
take place in his being.

In the US, addiction to drugs is quite widespread. One study on this problem revealed that one
in every five American aged between sixteen and fifty nine had used at least one drug. What’s
more is that about half (46 percent) of Americans, aged between 16 and 21, admitted having
used drugs in different phases of their life. Even more worrying is the fact that approximately
twenty million people, aged above twelve years, have used illegal drugs in the US. In fact, about
1.47 percent of Americans are addicted to drugs.

North America, which includes US and Canada and even Mexico, has a major drugs addiction
problem. The problem is no less dangerous in Central America where countries such as Belize,
Guatemala and Nicaragua are major centres for drug abuse.

Drugs addiction in Pakistan is no less worrisome. Though its neighbours (India, Bangladesh and
Maldives as well as Nepal) all have drugs addiction issues, Pakistan is the worst affected
throughout South Asia. It is, after all, home to the largest market for heroin consumption.
What’s more, Pakistan is also a major exporter of heroin and, in fact, approximately fifty tons of
opium is illegally brought into Pakistan to produce heroin.

Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and even Sri Lanka all have major issues with
use of drugs. Afghanistan, for example, has about 28,513,677 drug addicts, while Bangladesh
has 141, 340, 476 addicts. India has a staggering 1,065, 070,607 drug users, while Pakistan has
159, 196, 336 addicts.
The worst thing about being addicted to drugs is that it is affecting the youth in every part of
the world in a major way. The trouble starts among the school-going children but the problem
is exacerbated with abetment by those who wish to earn money out of selling drugs.

The problem among children and youth arises because of a perception that they seem to
harbour the notion of their inadequacy for failing to measure up to their expectations of their
elders. Nowadays it has become fashionable for the actors and singers to include tales of drugs
addiction and sexual references in their music. So instead of inculcating good values in the
youth, the entertainment industry is responsible for propagating the use of drugs, which is
further fuelling the addiction to drugs in both the developed and developing world.

The youth has become the target of major drug peddlers. These peddlers sell drugs and
package them as symbols of revolution and freshness but have no regard for the consequences
of their actions. The youth that takes to drugs are more likely to commit suicide because of the
harmful effects of the drugs they are taking. Misinformation about drugs is another reason for
these deaths as the addict or user may take the drugs in wrong doses, which can then lead to a
fatality.

Drugs addiction among the youth is killing them morally and socially as well as psychologically
and even physically. And, drug barons are becoming increasingly wealthier by supplying these
drugs that are causing untold misery.

It is time that societies and governments took a firmer view about preventing and stopping
drugs addiction. There should be a community plan that should be implemented to stop
addiction to drugs. This plan must identify the specific drugs that youth are using. It should
build on existing resources such as existing drug abuse prevention programmes and it should
also develop short-term goals relevant to proper implementation of research- based drug abuse
prevention programmes.

In addition, the community plan must project its long- term objectives to ensure that resources
are made available and in addition, the community plan must also incorporate ongoing
assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of their preventive measures and strategies.

In fact, all preventive measures need to address different forms of drug abuse and addiction
and should also target different types of drug abuse and addictions. It should also be tailored to
address risks that are specific to certain populations or audience characteristics. It must be
aimed at specific populations and at major transition points such as at middle-school level.

Unless serious measures are taken now, the very future of a large chunk of today’s youth will
be severely compromised. The problem of drug addiction is too real and serious to be ignored.
The governments need to involve communities and media in highlighting the perils associated
with the drug addiction. Media has a responsibility to highlight such issues with a view to
educating people and building a consensus among them to forge a united stand against such
scourges.
The perpetrators of doom and gloom are well entrenched in the power structures and have
formed transnational partnerships for their nefarious purposes. The response to deal with such
an organized menace should also be concerted for effective output. It calls for sustained
engagement and coordinated action among countries. Individual efforts cannot produce
desired results. For how long shall we turn a blind eye to such critical issues? It is now time to
be responsible in our actions

Types of drugs

Alcohol

 Some symptoms of dependence on alcohol are shakiness, nausea, rapid heartbeat, sweating
and anxiety. Alcohol damages your liver, brain and heart. Test show that an alcoholic’s brain
reacts differently to alcohol than non-alcoholics

Nicotine

Nicotine does not have a very long lasting effect. This causes nicotine users to smoke or chew
tobacco more. The United States Government has not declared nicotine addictive or illegal.
When people smoke it changes the way their mind works so that they need the nicotine again
and again.

Drugs

Many drugs abused are illegally but some are prescription. Opiates are drugs made from plants.
Another way drugs are made is in a lab; these drugs are called designer drugs. Sale of illegal
drugs is against the law in the United States of America. Usually people get drugs from friends
or dealers. Today people can get drugs off the Internet. All they need is a web address,  their
credit card number and their mailing address.

Inhalants

A drug that enters the body through breathing is an inhalant. Inhalants are more commonly
used by teenagers than any other age. Inhalants can be found in many household items. 
Inhalants cause brain damage, lung damage, coma or even death.

USAGE OF DRUGS IN PAKISTAN

However, the formulation of a comprehensive drug abuse control strategy demanded a realistic
assessment of the scope of the problem. According to the official statistics of Anti Narcotics
Force (ANF) of Pakistan, the country’s first National Survey on Drug Abuse (NSDA) was
conducted in 1982. Its findings not only indicated a significant increase in the use of heroin in
Pakistan but also predicted a similar trend for the future. Subsequent NSDAs were conducted in
1984, 1986, 1988 and 1993. All these surveys pointed towards a considerable increase in drug
abuse. The government, held its last NSDA with the assistance of the United Nations Drug
Control Programme (UNDCP), with the name of National Drug Abuse Assessment Study 2000-
2001. The assessment study consists of three data collection studies namely, Key Informant,
Treatment Registry and Four-Cities Study.
Each of the studies can be treated as independent research. At the same time, however, it
allows a comparison of indicated patterns from across the entire country by virtue of the
statistical assumption that what applies to known data (i.e., actual geographical locales studied
in detail), would also apply to similar locales (not studied in detail). The study is geared to
estimate the total population of hardcore heroin users, including intravenous drug users. For
other drug types, increasing and decreasing trends and patterns have been assessed. The study
s scope was ascertained in keeping with budgetary allocations. It is important to note that this
is an assessment study and not a survey as the estimates do not include drug use by household
women, workplace, skilled and unskilled workers, students, transporters and recreational users.
Prevalence Among males in the age bracket of 15-45 years, there are 500,000 regular heroin
users and drug injectors - an alarmingly high rate by international standards.
Major Drugs of Abuse Cannabis, in one form or the other (marijuana, Charas, etc), is the most
commonly used drug in Pakistan in terms of lifetime use and prevalence, followed by heroin,
alcohol and psychotropic substances. Rural/Urban Charas/hashish is equally popular in urban
and rural areas. Heroin abuse, however, is conspicuous as more of an urban phenomenon.
Literacy and Employment Rates Heroin abusers, on the average, have six years of education. Of
the total number of heroin users, 43 percent are unemployed and 26 percent are engaged in
full-time employment. Age Group An examination of social and demographic factors reveals
that 40 percent of the heroin abusers fall in the age bracket of 25-34 years.
Occupation Occupational grouping indicates that the frequency of drug abuse is highest among
people belonging to the skilled and unskilled labour categories (47 percent), followed by
business persons (16 percent), agricultural workers (5 percent) and students (3 percent). Means
of Financial Support Among drug users, 22 percent sustain themselves through casual work, 18
percent enjoy family support, 16 percent are beggars, 13 percent are drug peddlers, and 11
percent resort to petty thefts and pick-pocketing. `Gender' For most drug types, abuse is not as
common and pervasive among women as it is among the male population. Psychotropic
substances are the most common drugs of abuse among women. It has also been found that
women comprise only 3 percent of the total number of patients being reported, making it an
important area for intensive research. Problems Associated with Drug Abuse In all provinces
(both urban and rural locales), heroin has been identified as the drug predominantly
responsible for creating unrest in the society. Alcohol has been rated at number two.
Whilst cannabis is the most commonly used drug in all areas, respondents do not necessarily
perceive it as a cause of social upheaval. However, in some areas, cannabis-related troubles
have been reported. Current Drug Use Among heroin users, 77 percent report using the drug on
a daily basis. As for hashish/Charas, 41 percent use it on a daily basis and 34 percent
occasionally. Alcohol consumption remains more varied. However, most of the respondents (76
percent) report consuming alcohol twice or thrice a week or less, with only 10 percent
reporting consumption for five or more days a week. Other significant drugs include opium and
tranquilizers, which are currently being used by a quarter of all respondents. A majority of the
hardcore drug abusers consists of multiple drug consumers - a fairly common phenomenon
throughout the world. Methods of Administration As many as 73 percent of the total heroin
users either smoke the drug or inhale its fumes while 11 percent sniff it and 15 percent inject it.
Injecting drug use is accompanied by high incidence of practices associated with the spread of
blood-borne infections. Treatment and Rehabilitation As for treatment and rehabilitation, 64
percent of the respondents report difficulties in getting treatment. For an overwhelming
majority (80 percent), treatment is unaffordable. Lack of in-patient facilities in government
hospitals is cited as the major deterrent for treatment by 23 percent of the respondents. Forty-
four percent have received treatment for a drug problem at some stage in their lives. Ninety six
percent have been treated for heroin addiction. Most of the addicts did not receive intensive or
sustained therapy. Prison Contact Thirty-five percent of the respondents are reported to have
spent some time in prison for their alleged involvement in a drug-related offence.

Pakistan remains among the countries most affected by drug trafficking and has been ranked
second in terms of heroin and morphine seizures in 2008.

These sorry facts came as the World Drug Day was observed on Friday to raise awareness about
the major challenges which illicit drugs represent to society as a whole and especially to the
young.

The world’s morphine seizures continued to be reported by Pakistan with 11 metric tons or 40
per cent of the total seizure globally, according to the World Drug Report 2009, launched in
Islamabad on Thursday.

In terms of opium seizure, Pakistan was ranked second with 71 per cent of the total seizures.

In Pakistan, opium poppy continued to be cultivated in the area along the Afghan border at
about the same relatively low level of about 2,000 hectares reported over the past five years.
Pakistan saw the most opium poppy eradication in 2004 when 5,200 hectares of land was
cleared.

In 2007, poppy crop on 614 hectares was eradicated. The new drug report carry no figure for
the year 2008, mainly due to the ongoing war against Taliban militants and anti-state elements
in parts of NWFP, the main poppy cultivating areas.

The United Nations Office of Drug and Crime, which released its annual World Drug Report,
suggests in its estimates for 2008 that most of the opium exports from Afghanistan cross the
border in Iran while nearly 40 per cent exports of morphine and heroin exports go to Pakistan.

Pakistan has reported an additional new route to Malaysia, both direct and via Dubai. Until
recently, heroin in Malaysia originated exclusively from Myanmar. This new route shows that
Afghan opiates may now reach other destinations since Malaysia has been mentioned among
the key embarkation points for heroin shipments into Australia.

The report says the bulk of all opiates produced in Afghanistan are destined for consumption in
the neighbouring Iran, Pakistan, Central Asian countries and, to a lesser extent, India. These
markets – about five million users – are, in fact, larger than the opiate market in western and
central Europe – about 1.4 million.

The opiate markets in Western Europe are, however, financially more lucrative. Therefore,
opiates also leave Afghanistan via Iran and Pakistan along the Balkan route towards Western
Europe.
Opiate use remains the most prominent illicit drug problem in this region. Population surveys
suggested that 1.4 per cent used opiates in the past year in Afghanistan, and 2.8 per cent in Iran
which has an estimated 0.7 to 1.6 million so-called ‘drug addicts’.
 
Injecting drug use in Pakistan is reportedly increasing, with one study estimating 630,000 opiate
users in Pakistan, equivalent to 0.7 per cent of those aged 15 to 64, around 77 per cent of
whom were heroin users. At least half of the world’s amphetamines-group users – between
5.8-37.0 million – live in Asia.

Most of these are methamphetamine users in East and South-East Asia, which account for
between 52 and 79 per cent of estimated users in the region.

PRODUCTION

In the last 20 years, drug production and addiction has increasingly become just one of them.

The issue of drug addiction is often overshadowed by the many of the country's other human
development problems, such as poverty, illiteracy and lack of basic health care. But the fact is,
drug abuse is rapidly growing in Pakistan and in South Asia in general.

While Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Maldives all suffer from this, Pakistan is the worst victim of
the drug trade in South Asia. Today, the country has the largest heroin consumer market in the
south-west Asia region.

It wasn't always this way. Pakistan became a major exporter of heroin in the 1980s, following
the influx of Afghan refugees escaping the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

The major consequence of this has been a significant increase in domestic consumption of
heroin in Pakistan. Heroin was once upon a time a drug which was virtually unknown in the
country until the late 1970s. Today, Pakistan is not only one of the main exporters of heroin, it
has also become a net importer of drugs. It is estimated that about 50 tons of opium are
smuggled into Pakistan for processing heroin for domestic use. Almost 80 percent of the opium
processed in Pakistan comes from neighboring countries.

Widespread drug abuse may be indicated by the fact that almost five percent of the adult
population is using drugs in Pakistan. As a proportion of drug abusers, heroin users have
increased from 7.5 percent in 1983 to a shocking 51 percent a decade later in 1993.
Drug production for Pakistan's domestic market is estimated at close to $1.5 billion. It appears
that only three percent of the gross profits from the illegal opium industry remain within
Pakistan.

Like many of the country's other human development problems, the issue of drug abuse
touches the most vulnerable: the majority of drug users in South Asia belong to the poorest
strata of society. In addition, the presence of a large drug industry in Pakistan leads to a
redistribution of income from the poor to a few rich individuals who control the drug trade. This
not only makes the gap between the rich and the poor as well as income inequality even worse,
it also erodes Pakistan's social cohesion and stability.

Although almost all South Asian countries have enacted strict laws for fighting drug trafficking
and drug use, these measures have produced very disappointing results.

One problem is that corruption has also touched the fight against drug abuse in Pakistan and
other South Asian countries, since drug traffickers often escape punishment by giving bribes to
get out of being held accountable for their actions.

But Pakistan is not alone in fighting this disease. With the globalization of the drug abuse
problem in the last two decades, the situation has gone from bad to worse, so much so that the
United Nations Commission on narcotic drugs no longer discusses individual situations. It has
argued that the solution does not lie in the hands of individual countries. It has to be worked
out through mutual efforts by South Asian countries.

PREVENTION

In order to develop social competencies which enable an individual to function effectively in

Promoting healthier alternatives is based on the premise that people use drugs to meet a
variety of social, emotional and physiological needs. Their needs are legitimate and therefore
can be met in other ways which will both serve the individual and be acceptable to all
concerned. In order to be effective, an alternative must be interesting enough for the target
group and should be seen by it as better than drug use and offer the individuals a chance to
learn life coping skills. For example, team sports can both fulfill the need for developing a sense
of togetherness and personal achievement. Sports serve as the means for learning to deal with
failures in a positive manner. A football or hockey tournament can offer opportunities for
excitement and self-discovery as well as a practical lesson in cooperation, teamwork and clear
communication in a fluid environment. Other alternatives can be any number of indoor and out
door sports activities, like organizing tournaments for players as well as the match-viewers,
establishing libraries for readers, skill development centres for those who want to use their
energies in positive manners, entertainment outlets for those who want to avoid boredom and
tiredness.

Public policy, in the form of laws and statutes is equally important in controlling the availability
of drugs in a community. While the above two strategies are primarily concerned with the
individual, reducing the likelihood of drug abuse problems by enhancing the level of personal
functioning, public policy has to address all five elements within its prevention strategy which
targets all vulnerable sections of the society. Public policy, in turn is influenced by the society
itself through letters and lobbying by stake- holders.

The prevention of drug abuse requires a coordinated, multifaceted approach, one that
strengthens families from varying ethnic, and socioeconomic circumstances, and rewards youth
of all ages for a drug-free life style. As there is no single strategy or programme which in
isolation can consistently and clearly communicate the message against drugs, the ANF has
carefully selected the most appropriate mix of medias to reach each of the target groups
keeping the demographic and socioeconomic indicators in view.

REFERENCES

http://www.pakpost.gov.pk/philately/stamps2003/awareness_against_drug_abuse.html

http://www.yespakistan.com/people/drug_addic.asp

http://news.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-
library/dawn/news/pakistan/12drug+trafficking+continues+to+plague+pakistan--bi-03

http://www.youth.com.pk/en.php?tid=11912

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substance_abuse

http://www.onepakistan.com/news/local/50286-Realistic-strategy-needed-control-drug-abuse.html