Pubdate: Sat, 26 Jun 2010
Source: Times of India, The (India)
Copyright: Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. 2010
Contact:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/453
Author: Naveen Kumar

DRUG ABUSE ON THE RISE IN CITY

VARANASI: Pradeep (name changed), a teenager who is all  set to join 
college this year, finds himself on one of  the de-addiction beds 
under psychiatry department of  Banaras Hindu University (BHU). The 
young student is  still recovering from forced drug abuse by his 
friends  that pushed him into drug addiction. Ramzan, a  ragpicker, 
who initially switched to cigarette smoking  when instigated by his 
friends, has now become a drug  addict and often looks for heroin or 
psychotropic  drugs.

These are some of the startling stories of drug abuse  in young 
children and youth of the city even as the  region looks all set to 
observe International Day  Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 
(IDADAIT) on  Saturday (June 26). The growing tendency of drug abuse 
among youngsters has already raised concerns for health  experts in 
the region. "Young children and youths are  becoming an easy prey to 
the vicious network of drug  peddlers in the region. This network is 
now spreading  even to remote rural areas," said Sanjay Gupta, head, 
psychiatry department, BHU. It all starts from a  cigarette puff and 
later transforms into deep addiction  of hard psychotropic drugs 
including opium, heroin,  cannabis and others.

In fact, cigarette or bidi acts as the gateway to  addiction of hard 
drugs for most people, he added  indicating the gravity of the 
situation. The reports of  the department indicate that all the five 
beds (called  de-addiction beds for separate treatment of drug 
abusers) hardly lie vacant even for a single day. At  times, the beds 
of other departments are also used for  accommodating the patients 
who turn up for  de-addiction. Calling drug abuse a major psychiatry 
problem, Gupta said that victims of drug abuse usually  lose capacity 
to look after themselves. The over  occupation of a particular drug 
habit also interferes  the social and interpersonal functioning, 
leading to  psycho-biological disorder, he added.

Similarly, hinting at the dangerous trend of using drug  abuse as a 
tool for making young children and youths  working for long hours by 
the contractors, Gupta said  that the trend has reached even in the 
remote parts of  the district. Initially, the drugs are offered at 
nominal costs but once, the users become addicted, they  do not mind 
selling jewellery, ornaments or stealing  cash to buy the drug, he added.
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