International Day Against Drug Abuse & Illicit Trafficking: Use Of Illegal Drugs In Youngsters Continue To Rise

Burning 12.767 tons of ganja at a biomass plant in Chhattisgarh on Friday seems to be an impressive haul. As per latest report, the police said that around 5 Megawatts (MW) of electricity could be generated from the burning ganja.

In another incident as cited by The Times of India, four drug peddlers were held in Dibrugarh district on Thursday. From high-profile cruise drug raid cases to numerous Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raids, the country's condition regarding the use of drugs and other psychotropic substances is critical.

The journal of Legal Service India reveals that 90% of the drug is consumed by those aged 11 years and above. The youngsters of the country are addicted to tobacco, drugs or alcohol whose intoxicants raise wrath in a person. Even doctors have noticed that the increase in the number of juveniles committing crimes like rape, murder, burglary, etc is because of drug addiction.

The Pubmed Central e-journal published a study where millions of Indians were found dependent on alcohol, cannabis and opiates. The UN Office of Drugs and Crime along with India's Ministry of Social Justice published a report which said that drug abuse is a penetrating phenomenon in Indian society.

Harmful Effects Of Drugs On Youngsters

Drugs are dangerous! But especially for young people. They grow and develop their brain until their mid-20s. Taking drugs at a young age can interfere with the developmental process occurring in the brain.

The National Library of Medicine also revealed that drug abuse can affect the decision-making capacity of youngsters. They can make risky decisions of criminal activity or dangerous driving. If a person starts drug consumption at a very young age, their chances of getting addicted increases. Taking drugs such as marijuana, alcohol, tobacco, etc can lead to adult health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure and sleeping disorders.

The author of the report, Dr Rajat Ray, head of the Centre for Behavioural Sciences at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi said, "Mere building of treatment centres will not be enough and millions of drug users in the community will have to be motivated, informed and encouraged to come forward to seek treatment." He added that currently, India does not have a systematic national or local drug misuse monitoring protocol.

Also Read: Odisha Govt Set To Launch 'Navchetana Programme' To Reduce Drug Addiction Among Students