According to statistics, hundreds of thousands of people are joining the club of drug users every year in Pakistan. By this year, total drug users in the country have reached up to about eight million, out of which 1.5 million use opium, 750,000 are heroin addicts and 200,000 are drug-injecting users while 75,000 addicts are suffering from HIV/AIDS.
One out of every 10 college/university students is a drug addict. In one prominent private university in Karachi, many students were recorded as using ‘charas’. Over 50,000 street children are involved in solvent substance abuse in four major cities of the country.
About 40 percent of Pakistan’s prison population uses drugs. More than 200 women are addicted to hard drugs like heroin. Drug production for Pakistan’s domestic market is estimated at $1.5 billion.
However, our law enforcement agencies have failed completely to put an end to this curse, which is fast becoming a culture in our society. Where is the end to this menace?
KHUSHNOODA TAHIRA
Karachi
