The widespread availability of drugs has left the souls of youth as lifeless as they could be. Addicts craving for more drugs are not mere criminals or the outlaws but above all, they are our children. It wasn’t always this; Pakistan became a major exporter of heroin in the 1980’s following the influx of Afghan refugee 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 a drug which was virtually unknown in the country until the late 1970’s. It is estimated that about 50 tons of opium processed in Pakistan comes from neighbouring countries. Widespread drug abuse may be indicated by the fact that almost 5% of the adult population is using drugs in Pakistan. As a proportion of drug abusers, heroin users increased from 7.5% in 1983 to a shocking 51% a decade later in 1993.
In addition, the presence of a large drug industry in Pakistan leads to a redistribution of income from the poor to a few rich individual who control the drug trade. The reason why the number of drug addicted people is increasing alarmingly is that the drug cartels in Pakistan are fully backed and supported by the powerful and the wealthy who have got ample influence.
Government should take serious actions to stop the cultivation of poppy and other forms of drugs. Awareness campaign should be launched on electronic and print media. Above all, awareness and prevention must start at home, with parents. Once they understand the causes of drug abuse, they can help prevent it.
SHEIKH BILAL HASSAN
Lahore
