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Assistant professor, Sociology Department, Khalsa College for Women. ASR., 465/7, Basant Nagar, Majitha road, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Article Info:

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Article History:

Received 11 December 2021

Reviewed 17 January 2022

Accepted 21 January 2022

Published 15 February 2022

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Cite this article as:

Dua J, The Problem of Drug addiction in India: Its Consequences and Effective measures, Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics. 2022; 12(1-s):159-163

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22270/jddt.v12i1-s.5192

Abstract

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Drug Addiction is a very severe problem in the Indian region which is affecting all aspects of the society. It has received greater attention in recent times due to the proliferating magnitude of the problem and the changing trends in usage of drugs particularly in youth. Drugs have started breeding their own sub-culture, which has its own norms, values, behaviour and symbols. This problem deteriorates an individual’s health and happiness of an individual, the family, the community and the society. Today, there is no part of the world that is free from the curse of drug trafficking and drug addiction. Drug Addiction is not confined to a single person or region. Its number could be varied and found in any age, gender, ethnicity, social class or religion. As a matter of fact, the tentacles of drug addiction have spread world widely covering every country in the world. There are various factors like peer pressure, masses high aspirations, unemployment and changing societal order are continuously enhancing this particular menace. The present study therefore aims to study the distinctive consequences behind the problem of drug addiction which impacts the masses physically, psychologically, economically and socially. It also manifests some possible solutions that could be taken by family, community, friends and society to eradicate this problem.

Keywords: Drug Addiction, Drug Abuse, Drug Usage, Impacts of Drugs.

*Address for Correspondence:

Dr. Jasleen Dua, Assistant professor, Sociology Department, Khalsa College for Women. ASR., 465/7, Basant Nagar, Majitha road, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Drug addiction has actually become one of the crucial social problem from last three decades. It is also said that India has become not only an important transit centre for drugs but the prevalence of drug use is also increasing at an alarming rate. Generally, drugs are meant to be used for the treatment of various ailments but these life saving drugs now have become life killing drugs and if they are used habitually by anyone then his body completely relies on them for its functioning. It is being pivotal to distinctive other economic, psychological and health problem which we can no longer afford to ignore. An unprecedented spurt in the development, drugs have started breeding their own sub-culture, which has its own norms, values, behaviour and symbols. This problem has serious implications for the health and happiness of an individual, the family, the community and the society at large.

Today, there is no part of the world that is free from the curse of drug trafficking and drug addiction. Millions of drug addicts, all over the world are leading miserable lives between life and death. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) drug abuse is persistent or sporadic drug use unrelated to acceptable medical practice. The picture is grim if the world statistics on the drugs scenario is taken into account. With a turnover of around $500 billion, it is the third largest business in the world, next to petroleum and arms trade. About 190 million people all over the world consume one drug or the other¹.

Perhaps, the most fundamental and persistent question that usually appears is what the drug actually refers to? Drugs are like any chemical substance, associated with distinct physical or psychological effects which alter a person’s normal bodily functions, mood or consciousness. In medical sense, a drug is a substance prescribed by a physician for the purpose of treating and preventing disease of a person whereas in the psychological and sociological contexts, term drug is used for habit forming substance which directly affects the brain or nervous system and the term addiction is generally referred to a state where the body requires continued administration of drugs in order to function. An addiction is a habitual response and a source of gratification or security. It is way of coping with external pressures that provides the addict with predictable gratification, but with a concomitant cost. A person is seems to be vulnerable for addiction when he feels less confident, having loose connections with other people, lack of compelling interest and hope.

The problem of drug addiction in India has become a matter of serious public concern which is growing like a cancer. Although there are no definite figures to show the actual extent of the problem, yet the rising number of drug addicts, drug counselling and de-addiction centre indicates the extent of this problem but the question arises, why people mainly our youth is continuously indulging in this problem. Though the reasons are as varied as the types of people but some of the contributing factors for the initiation of drug use could be the tendency to seek pleasure or relief of pain, curiosity, peer pressure, frustration, alienation, unemployment or changing structures but some of the major components regarding this problem which could not be ignored are:

1. Individual drug abuse factors which include early drug abuse, inadequate social bonding and deviant behaviour.

2. Personality factors which include aggressive behaviour, low academic achievement or low self acceptance.

3. Family factors include a history of anti-social behaviour, parental drug using role model etc.

5. Community factors which include availability of drugs, social stress, lack of economic mobility and poverty.

1. Opiates: Opiates include Heroin, Smack, Dodde, Bhuki, Opium, Cough syrups, Capsules, Tablets.

2. Alcohol: It is probably the cheapest source of addiction which can damage almost every part of the human body. Alcohol is consumed in the form of Scotch, Whisky, Beer, Vodka, Gin, Rum.

4. Cocaine: It is obtained from coco bush which is famous for its uncontrolled aggression.

5. Tobacco/Cigarette: The active ingredient in tobacco is nicotine. Cigarette is considered as sign of so called male macho.

6. Amphetamine: It is a highly potent and highly addictive stimulant similar to cocaine in its effect on the body and mind.

7. Miscellaneous group: This includes alprazolam, analgesics, petrol fumes, iodex, insecticides, snake venom, thinner².

An addiction of drugs can happen for a variety of reasons. If someone is prescribed with a drug on a medication basis for the cure of any kind of depression or for pain relief then it is possible that consumption may changes into addiction. They may feel that they can not survive without drug. Addiction can also start from someone’s first experimentation with drugs or alcohol and at something relatively nontoxic such as social event for instance if you have decided to smoke a cannabis for the first time then the chilled and relaxed feeling experienced from this will probably result in you repeating the experiment. Stronger forms of cannabis can result in elevated perception and illusion which may be seen as a form of escapism.

Escapism through drugs, tobacco or alcohol is also likely if you have issues surrounding low confidence and esteem for example if you are in the position to shyness or facing interaction problems in your social surrounding then a few drinks or smoking can resolve your problem. Manny people find that consuming these substances causes them to feel more confident and self assured in any social situation so in that situation on feeling its advantageous affects they are more than likely to do this again. The problem occurs when this habit becomes a crutch which leads to such situation in which you can not do without your fix whether it is cigarettes, alcohol or drugs, in order to function as you would like to³.

The more people experience is what causes a strong desire for the source of their addiction. In some ways this can creates a false persona: other people see the addicted you rather than your true personality. If you realize that you have an addictive personality then you can hopefully take steps to prevent dependency which refers to an awareness of the substances like caffeine or alcohol which are likely to trigger behaviour and can lead to an addiction. People have their own reasons for the causes of their addiction and it is a case of understanding and empathising with them rather than pointing a finger of blame. Drug addiction is no respecter of persons. It does not matter what age, gender, ethnicity, social class or religion you belong to. No one is immune to the far reaching effects of addiction. Drug addiction not only affects the user but also includes family, friends and whole society.

Drug addiction is a menace that is spreading its roots all over the world at an alarming rate but the threat of misusing various drugs has never been in the history of mankind as it is today. Certainly, drug usage is not a new phenomena. In fact, the use of some specific herbs and plants can be traced in the history. Traditionally, various natural substance like poppy seeds and other natural opiates to which we today called as a drug were often given to people by ancient healers for curbing their stress. Drugs in one or another form were always used by numerous cultures throughout the centuries as a part of their religious rituals. Historically, many cultures have favoured certain drugs with regard to the particular climate and the nature of trade. In many ancient tribal communities, people used to gather on some occasions and consume intoxicants together. They do so to generate ‘we feeling’ and community consciousness among them⁴.

The Indian Vedas have also mentioned about the ‘Somras’, an intoxicant that Aryans brought with them about 4000 years ago. Despite it, the earliest reference to cannabis(Bhang) was also found in 800 B.C. and by 1000 AD which appeared to be the favourite drink of lord Shiva. In fact, in the Vishwanath temple at Varanasi, the Datura fruit is considered as an essential offering to lord Shiva. A large number of sadhus are believed to be using these drugs to experience hallucination and a sense of feeling of connecting them with their god through meditation. There is also a historical evidence that poppy was cultivated in Canbay during 15^th century. In 1757, the East India Company also monopolized cultivation of poppy. The governor general IV, Warren Hastings brought opium trade under the control of the government¹. In many parts of the country pseudo-religious traditions had also sanctioned the use of cannabis, opium and ganja for self-medication. However, the situation has changed in contemporary society where the consumption of drugs has assumed different meaning. Actually, science and technology has entered into our lives to such extent that now human life is usually be measured through money, status and power. Although, a common man is started facing isolation and depression who in turn try to find relief and relaxation through drugs which could lead to some unacceptable results like formation of drug culture where deviance and criminal activities exist which impact the individuals and the whole society.

The usage of illicit psychoactive drugs has assumed global dimensions. Now, this issue is neither bound to any one region nor to any single caste, class or race. As a matter of fact, the tentacles of drug addiction have spread world widely covering every country in the world. The abuse and production of illicit narco drugs and psychotropic substances have continued rising in several parts, including the South and South-East Asia. As an example, the estimated production of opium poppy at the global level had increased from 4700 tons in 2010 to 7000 tons in 2011⁵.

According to reports, the total area under poppy cultivation in Afghanistan had reached a record high of 1,54,000 hectares in 2012 and 2,09,000 hectares in 2013. Similarly, “the number of households growing cannabis plant as a cash crop leapt by more than a third, to about 65,000 compared with 47,000 in 2010”. As per the estimates of the Government of Afghanistan, the livelihood of some 1,91,500 rural households in the year 2011, depended on the growing of illicit drugs mainly opium poppy. Apart from Afghanistan, approximately 51,000 hectares of opium was illicitly cultivated in Myanmar in 2012, representing 17 percent increase over 2011. Besides this, the cultivation of illicit cannabis in Indonesia and Philippines and seizures of methamphetamine in China, Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar in 2011 were no less significant. Contrabands like heroin, Amphetamine – type stimulants (ATS) and pharmaceutical preparations have become major drugs of abuse in the East and South-East Asia. Moreover, some countries in South America produce, consume and traffic cocaine, cannabis etc; while Morocco, Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa etc. consume and traffic cannabis herb, cannabis resin and amphetamine – type stimulants. WHO reports that nearly 50 million people in the world are drug-addicts, 30 million smoke marijuana, eight million cocaine, 1.7 million opium, 700,000 use heroin and the remaining consume narcotics such as smack etc. In U.S.A drug- abuse is the number one health problem. Number of Americans using various drugs, being addicted to them, and even dying from overdoses, is on the increase. The various cities in the U.S., where use of drugs and drug related crimes are high are Detroit, Texas, Miami, Boston and Los Angeles. Cannabis is the most used drug in Africa and the middle East, where it was unknown till 1940. Pakistan and Bangladesh in the subcontinent show an unprecedented rise in drug abuse. Drug-abuse in the Gulf and the West Asian Countries is also on the rise, cannabis and opium being the commonly used drugs. Pakistan is the most convenient point for smuggling out huge quantity of drugs like opium, heroin, smack and mandrax. Latin America is also a haven for drug trafficking. Bolivia and the neighbouring countries grow and process cocaine. South America has an enormous trade in cocaine. Cocaine primarily travels from colombia pacific ports, via Costa Rica to Mexico and on to California. Drugs are also moved through Chile to markets in Asia, and through Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina to Europe⁶.

Intoxicating drugs are not new in India. The Vedas had also mentioned that a drug like Somaras was certainly used in certain occasions and Bhang, a plant based on natural substances was also used in socio-cultural ceremonies and for medical purposes. In fact certain cannabis like bhang, charas and ganja has been used by priests and other religious personages as an aid in meditation. The indigenious system of medicine ‘Ayurveda’ also used it for its analgesic value. At that time it was neither stigmatized nor had assumed any wide spread epidemic dimensions but it was changed when the use of narco-drugs had become a health concern which was started threatening the humans. It is also considered that drug problem faced by India is to great extent due to its geographical position⁷.

India is located between the two major points of origin of illicit drugs- The golden triangle countries of Burma, Thailand, Laos in the east and the golden crescent countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran in the west with which a huge quantity of drugs like Opium, Heroine, Smack and Mandrax get smuggled in the international market and its two main transit points in India are Mumbai and Cochin through which India too is caught in this vicious circle of drug abuse and the number of drug addicts are increasing day by day. India has atleast 7.5 crore drug addicts and according to a UN report, One million heroin addicts are registered in India and unofficially there are as many as five million. With most of the drug users followed in the productive age group of 18-35 years. The loss due to drug addiction in the term of human value is incalculable. The damage to the physical, psychological, moral, and intellectual growth of the youth is very high. Besides over the past few decades, India has seen a rise in industrialization and urbanization, which has caused large migrations to cities which is affecting their traditional culture and way of life. The increasing individuality and a new way of living where every person have to compete with each other for their survival is increasing stress and strains in their everyday life. These stresses and strains only are turning the persons towards the use of drugs to calm their thoughts and to deal with their everyday life⁸.

It has also been estimated that in India most boys who reach the ninth grade out of which about 50% of them have tried at least one of the drug. In last three decades many epidemiological surveys have been carried out in India to assess the prevalence of drug addiction. In Uttar Pradesh, Dube and Handa reported that 22.8 per 1000 were dependent on alcohol and drugs. The important finding of this study is that alcohol is the commonest drug used followed by cannabis. Epidemiological surveys also revealed that 20-40% of subjects above 15 years are currently users of alcohol and 10% of them are regular or excessive users. In a rural population of uttar Pradesh alcohol was found to be the commonest drug. Varma et al found that rates of current use of alcohol in Punjab were 45.9% in Jalandhar and 27.7% in Chandigarh whereas it is 28.1% in the rural areas of Punjab. Drug addiction is also primarily due to the nature of the drug abused, the personality of the individual and the immediate environment in which the addict belong. The process of industrialization and urbanization has totally chanced the traditional methods of social control which have effected on the individual’s life style. Drug addiction is a complex phenomenon which has various social, cultural, biological, geographical and economic impacts. The disintegration of the old joint family system, absence of the parental love and care in modern families where both parents are working has declined the old religious and moral values ultimately lead to a rise in the number of drug addicts who take drugs to escape from the hard realities of life⁹.

India is equally affected by drug abuse and trafficking. In the past, limited use of cannabis or Bhang had formed a part of the socio-cultural ceremonies in different parts of the country but in present, the use of illicit narco drugs and psychotropic substances has reached all regions and sections of the Indian society. The country, which was previously used as a transit point to smuggle narco-drugs, especially Afghan heroin, to Europe, Canada and USA, has itself become the consumer of heroin, smack, charas, ganja, and other pharmaceutical drugs. The use of heroin in India has increased over the years. According to some, there were as many as five million heroin addicts in India⁵. Although lots of heroin users in India have used Indian manufactured heroin, traffickers have preferred to export it from Afghanistan and other areas because of quality, purity and onward trafficking to foreign lands. Indian heroin and the codeine based pharmaneutical preparations are also supplied to neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. According to the International Narcotics Control Board’s report, the area under illicit opium poppy cultivation in India was estimated to be 7,500 hectares. Some popular drugs made out of cannabis like the ‘Malana-cream’ of Himachal Pradesh and the ‘Manipuri Ganja’ are known for high quality in the domestic and international markets. This illicit cultivation is practiced mostly in the mountainous regions and backward regions. In 2013, a special cell of Delhi police revealed that in one of the villages of Uttar Pradesh, where opium was grown legally for medicinal purposes, a large portion of the produce went to the party circuit in major metros. Interestingly enough, an opium cultivator in Bareilly district, who had acquired the skill of manufacturing heroin from opium, used to prepare the contraband in his village fields at night and supplied it to Delhi for hotels and rave parties. Drugs from India are also smuggled to foreign lands through sea ports like Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai. Likewise, the heroin, marijuana and various psychoactive chemicals are flown out to international markets through important airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Trivandrum and Amritsar¹⁰.

Drug Addiction is a form of disease and as such it can pose a series of negative consequences on one’s emotional well being, physical health and even on family life also. The impacts of drugs could be unpredictable, even opposite to what is expected and each form of addiction poses its own series of risks. There are four main categories under which drugs impact one’s life.

1. Physical consequences: Physical impacts of drug addiction vary by drug but are usually seen in all systems of body. Drug Addiction changes the way the brain functions and the way the body feels pleasure. These effects of addiction are because the drug repeatedly floods the brain with the chemicals dopamine and serotonin which effect on the entire body of the person. Physiological effects that cause due to drug consumption are irregular breathing, increase in heart rate and blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis and lung disease.

(i) Physical Injuries: When a person is under the influence of drugs, he can do those things which he normally do not do. He is more likely to experience physical injury or get involved in any accident. Sometime a person can also commit suicide or murder.

(ii) Internal Damage: Usage of some types of drugs can also damage one’s internal organs such as liver, stomach and throat. To exemplify, a whitener used by students are also used as a drug. If they are inhaled for a long time then it can damage sense organs and also harm the parts of the brain that control memory and attention.

(iii) Risk of Infectious Diseases: Sharing of needles while injecting drug in the body can put a person at major risk for getting diseases like Hepatitis C, B as well as HIV. These diseases are spread through the transmission of body fluids like blood.

2. Psychological Consequences: The psychological impacts of drug can alter ones mood. It can create stress or mental illness. Drugs can also create many behavioural problems like aggressiveness, impaired judgement, mood swings, anxiety and even memory loss. It also surges the likelihood of violent behaviour. It is not surprising to say that those who are drug addicts also manifest patterns of deviant behaviour by which social norms are also being easily disregarded by them.

(i) Stress: It is true that using certain drugs help a person to relax and forget his pain and problem. However, its long term use can have a large impact on the way ones brain works and also lead to increase in anxiety and stress level.

(ii) Depression: An individual can also feel low and depressed because of a drug usage. People mainly intake some drugs to handle their depression but they do not know that these drugs can worsen their condition in long run.

(iii) Mental Illness: Numerous scientists acknowledge the fact that there is a connection between the usage of a drug and mental illness. A continuous use of some drugs for a time interval can create mental problems such as schizophrenia etc.

3. Economic Consequences: Economic effects of drug addiction are harmful in the form of the health of the country, affecting families, communities and people of all ages. It also affect on the nation’s ability to respond to the economic challenge in the future.

(i) Financial Loss: The cost of an addiction not only affects the sufferer but can also encompass family, friends and society as a whole. There are the costs of policing, drug addiction help lines, support groups and rehab clinics.

(ii) Impact on Productivity: A further cost of drug addiction is the loss in productivity that can occur when drug users are under the influence of drugs. While in treatment or when incarcerated, drug addicts may be unable to participate in work that emerges economic loss.

(iii) Diversion of the Economic Resources: Scarcity of economic and natural resources is also one of the most basic economic problems. It is known to all that we have limited resources for which we have to compete with others to entail them. In such kind of scenario when we are running short of resources, the problem of drug addiction requires the economy to dedicate its valuable resources to the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of the addicts.

4. Social Consequences: The effects of substance abuse can be felt on many levels on the society. Marriage relationships, home life, education, employment, personality and so on. Some drugs can even a person’s body and brain or mood in ways that last long after the person has stopped taking drugs may be even permanently.

(i) Impact on familial relationships: Under the influence of addiction, family members sometimes experience feelings of abandonment, restlessness, fear, resentment, anxiety, humiliation or guilt. Family members often neglect or deduct relations with substance exploiter.

(ii) Impact on marital relationship: The person who is addicted may change with an easy personality which appears in mood swings, violent explosions, secrecy and other forms of extreme behaviour. This creates difficulty for a partner to deal with and is even worse if there are children involved. It is both distressing and confusing for children to see one parent exhibit signs of their addiction.

(iii) Domestic Problem: Domestic Violence is a crime that is committed behind closed doors in the privacy of the family. Persons who are not abusers may be affected by this problem that also involves child abuse, sexual abusing, economic violence and HIV infection.

1. Family Support: The support of family and friends often plays a vital role in recovery of addiction which is a lifelong journey in itself and requires a hard commitment and family’s role is not only limits to take an addict from home to rehab centre but turn his focus towards long term recovery. It becomes crucial for family and friends to create and implement a change in their lifestyle. This means that whole family has to maintain a drug free environment within the household. This treatment through family love could be also termed as ‘Family Therapy’ which can motivate the addicts to end up their addiction by creating a will power in them.

2. Treatment through De-addiction centres: The problem of drug addiction has become chronic in India and especially in Punjab and to fight with this menace the role of De-addiction cells can not be disregarded. As far as India is concerned, the Ministry of Social Justice and Employment has been implementing programmes for prevention of alcoholism and substance abuse. Under the scheme, grant-in-aid is provided to voluntary organizations for implementing community based programmes on awareness generation, preventive education, counselling, detoxification, and rehabilitation. It is also true that numerous De-addiction centres have also been emerged in Punjab also. For instance Drug De-addiction Cell, Civil Hospital in Tarn-taran, Patti, Sarhali, Red cross Drug De-addiction Centre at Gurdaspur. Swami Vivekanand De-addiction centre in Amritsar and Rehabilitation Centre at Aasal. Nonetheless, some efforts are still needed to drain this problem like availability of medicines, provision of doctors and counsellors are required¹¹.

3. Check on the Custom Officers: It has been analysed that some time custom officers are also equally responsible for this problem as these officers whose main job is to check documentation while importing goods and these people sometimes become a helpful agent in the supply of drugs to international market for the sake of money should be checked.

4. Role of Government: Government policies and initiatives against drug trafficking should be integrated into development programmes in all countries, the key goal of strengthening institutions should be kept in mind. Firstly, there should be tough penalties against all those who make profits from drug trade. Secondly, the security at the borders should be tightened to protect the infiltration of drugs in the economy.

Therefore, drug addiction is a complex disease that has negative consequences for individuals and for society. The alarming extent of drug addiction at a wide scale extent is worrisome for the entire country. The drugs are smuggled from neighbouring countries across the border. Unemployment, social tensions, easy availability of narcotics, sale of prescription drugs at chemist shops are a few reasons for high drug consumption in India. Indeed, every menace has some solutions but we need individual, societal and government support to overcome this problem.

3. Khan M.Z. Drug use amongst the College Youth. Bombay: Somauja Publications; 1985.

6. Das P. Drug Trafficking in India: A Case Study of Border Security. The United States: Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis; 2012.

8. International Narcotics Control Strategy (INCSR) Report. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs 2013 available at www.state.go/j/inl/nls/nrcpt/2013/vol. 1./index. Accessed April 26,

10. Aulakh R. Drugged State. The Hindustan Times (Sunday Magazine). January 30, 2005.

11. Bansal K, P.D. “Socio-demographic Profile and Pattern of Drug Abuse among Patients presenting to a De-addiction Centres in Rural Area of Punjab” Delhi psychiatry Journal, 2012; 15(2):328-330.