“UDTA PUNJAB” IS AN OLD STORY……..”LATEST IS, ADDICTION GRABS ENTIRE NATION

By TCP News Desk Last updated Sep 26, 2018

In 2013, son of actor-politician Raj Babbar and the late actress Smita Patil, actor Prateik Babbar battled with substance abuse. Recently on May, 1, 2018 he opened up boldly about his drug addiction like few do in Bollywood saying that he was being tarnished by the guilt.

“I was being eaten alive by guilt, which is why I was ready to talk about my past. I was very guilty that I was an addict… especially to my fans and people who saw me and had this perception that ‘achha dikhta hai, logon ko achha lagta hai’ [He looks good, appears to be a nice boy]… They had a very different picture of me which was not true and it was killing me.” -Prateik Babbar

“My first real drug was a disturbed childhood. Constantly faced with an internal dilemma, the voices in my head debating where I belong and who I am, drugs came disguised as a glitzy escape. As years went by, I got acquainted with the narcotic underbelly, which led me to my first run-in with drugs at the age of 13.” -Prateik Babbar

“Getting out of bed was almost impossible; nausea greeted me each morning, my body ached and I oscillated between hot and cold every few minutes. At that point, I didn’t even have a drug of choice, I took whatever I could lay my hands on.” -Prateik Babbar

As per the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) ‘2017 World Drug Report’, globally, there is an estimated minimum of 190,900 premature deaths caused by drugs. And Asian sub-region accounts for 35% of the global total of drug-related deaths.

VISIT TO OUR NATION

Over the last few decades, drug consumption has turned out to be one of the major dilemma affecting the lives of millions of children and youth in the country. India has witnessed a five-time (455%) increase in drug rise from 2011 to 2013, according to data released by the government to Parliament.

In 2016, Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment stated the dreadful condition of India.

“At present, it is estimated that around 7.21 crore people are affected due to drugs.”

There are few states and cities in the country which have turned out to be the spearhead in the drug consumption. Since a very long time, Punjab in the Northern part of India has been facing a drug addiction, though it is considered as one of the most developed states of the country.

States like Mizoram, Manipur, Goa, and Mumbai are other evident states affected by the drug problems. Even our national capital is not far behind.

The rug will be swept from under your feet when you will get to know that 90% of Street Children in the national Capital are addicted to drugs. Wait there is more to that, four dies of an overdose every year!

As per the 2014 report of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) registered cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act 1985 (NDPS Act) has recorded a steady rise across India. Total 46,923 cases were registered in India, in 2014 that marked an increase of 70% over 2004.

VULNERABLE PUNJAB

According to 2011 census, the total Population of Punjab is 2,77,43,338. In 2015, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE), Government of India commissioned a study to disclose the number of opioid/drugs dependent individuals in Punjab.

For that study, ten cities were covered-

Bathinda,
Ferozepur,
Jalandhar,
Kapurthala,
Gurdaspur,
Hoshiarpur,
Patiala, Sangria,
Moga,
Tarn Taran

The fact that was revealed by the survey were breathtaking-

The total number of drug users in Punjab 2, 32,856.
89% of drug addicts are educated and literate.
83% of drug addicts have jobs in Punjab.
Almost all drug addicts are male (99%) in Punjab.
56% that is half of Punjab’s drug addicts are from villages.
Heroin (Chitta) is the most common drug consumed. 53% of the drug addict’s survey claimed it.
By a drug addict, on an average spends following amount every day in Punjab-

Heroine- Rs. 1400
Opium- Rs. 340
Pharmaceutical opioid- Rs. 265

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE

The farming crisis caused by an over-reliance on cash crops
Lack of job opportunities
Easy availability of narcotic substances
The link between drug associations organized criminal gangs, politicians and crook elements of the law enforcement agencies.
Geographical location of Punjab has proximity to porous international borders that are international drug-trafficking zones.

Crime rate under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 of Punjab yearly basis

The rate of crime is a crime per lakh population

Source: CMIE States of India, CMIE Economic Outlook

YEAR	CRIME RATE
2005	17.3
2006	18.6
2007	23.2
2008	18.9
2009	16.4
2010	20.2
2011	19.7
2012	36.4
2013	51.6
2014	51.5

ADDICTION CLASPS CAPITAL

As estimated by Indian embassy there are around 100,000 street children in Delhi. A recent survey conducted by Government in the national capital in drug problem disclosed that children as young as 9 years were affected by drug abuse. It was the first time a major government survey was undertaken on Delhi’s street children. Delhi government’s women and child development department in association with NDDTC at AIIMS conducted this survey. Last year according to the ministry, 46,410 cases of substance abuse by street children were reported in the national capital.

Few shocking results:

Around 70,000 street children are habitual of consuming drugs in any form.
Following are the number of children habitual of consuming different sort of drugs:

Tobacco- 20,000
Alcohol- 10,000
Inhalants- 7000
Cannabis- 5600
Heroin- 800

There are few who are addictive to pharmaceutical opioids and sedatives.

The odd fact that was revealed during the survey was that children in the age group of 9 and 10 years have already started consuming tobacco, alcohol while heroin or opium addictions started at the young age of 12-13 years.

STATING THE CAUSE

During the survey it was revealed by the street children that there were various reasons due to which they started consuming drugs:

Some said that it was peer pressure
Some claimed that they were curious to experience the after affects of the substance
Some said that they had to intake drugs to avoid hunger, cold, and poverty.

Among these kids more that 60% were living with their families or relatives. Around 15-20% among them lived on streets to support their families. About 10% were school going children. Some were school dropouts due to drug abuse.

WIDE AVAILABILITY

After looking such a horrific data throughout the country and especially in Punjab one must be wondering that if drugs are illegal in India then who is the main culprit who brings the availability of such substances in India? Then you all must be aware that what’s next to be told to you would be a bit more of a shocker for you all.

You all must be aware of the fact that penetrable border between Afghanistan and Pakistan has been a major transit point for arms and drugs smuggling. As Punjab shares a large border with Pakistan, it has a history of arms smuggling in the 80s that has now changeover to smuggling of drugs. As the demands have increased due to more people getting addicted, the smugglers have increased the supply to the state.

It’s a long chain of distribution in entire nation and Punjab that chain. Previously, high value drugs like cocaine and heroin were entering Punjab from Pakistan and after meeting the local demand, it would further be carried or must say transported to popular tourist destinations like Kullu-Manali and Goa.

The problem is much aware by both the state and the central government and has been struggling to control and block the entry of drugs into the country.

In the scrim of elevated cross-border terror attacks on Indian soil, Indian paramilitary forces along with Punjab Police, have stepped up vigilance along the border which has resulted in stifling the flow of drugs from Pakistan.

But the well-rooted drug mafia has opened up brand new routes for supply. In the East, drugs have been entering the nation from Myanmar and Bangladesh for consumption and for further it moves to other countries.

With supply becoming almost stagnant through the Indo-Pak border becoming difficult, drugs are now making their path into Punjab through various distinctive land and rail routes. Rajasthan is speedily emerging as a transit state for drugs entering Punjab.

Along with international drugs smuggled into India, Madhya Pradesh is a leading source for illegally grown and processed drugs with Neemuch and Mandsaur emerging as dominant supply points. It could come as a surprise to you that MP is India’s largest grower of legally sanctioned opium; it’s a base crop from which heroin is derived. Along with opium, Marijuana is also grown and has a serious demand. Unfortunately, a compelling quantity of opium and marijuana grown illegally ultimately ends up in Punjab through Rajasthan, which is now a leading transit state.

GOVERNMENTS RESPONSE

“This problem has become huge because of years of neglect and the failure to keep youth gainfully employed. We cannot expect the problem to disappear in a matter of months. The law does not seem to be equipped to act as a deterrent. What adds to the challenge is the social stigma, which prevents the affected youth and families from seeking help.” -Amarinder Singh, CM Punjab

“There is no data with us of the deaths [drug overdose] reported outside the hospital. Unless the family doesn’t come forward, we cannot compile any data. So far, as per our records, only two deaths are confirmed due to drug overdose in the state. There are two more suspected overdose deaths in our records, but we are still verifying if the post mortem reports have concluded anything like that. “If there is an FIR, then only there will be a post mortem examination. When cases will not be reported to the health facilities, then what is the proof that death happened because of drug overdose. There are no forensic reports till date that show people are dying using adulterated drugs. Police have recovered some samples which have been now sent for testing. Once the report comes then only we can say if people are using adulterated drugs.” – Brahm Mohindra, Punjab’s Health Minister

IMPLEMENTING LAW

Between 2012 to 2015, total 64,302 people, including foreigners, were arrested on drug-trafficking charges across India.

Among the most foreign arrests, Nepalese topped the list with 266 arrests from 2011 to May 2014 followed by Nigerians (210) and Burmese (96).

From 2011 till June 2014 if we talk about drug smuggling then India-Bangladesh border is most vulnerable with 1,607 cases reported, followed by India-Nepal (779), India-Myanmar (317) and India-Pakistan (120).

GOVERNMENT TRIED?

Flagship program for control drugs under the ministry of social justice and empowerment.

‘Scheme of assistance for the Prevention of Alcoholism & Substance (Drugs) Abuse and for Social Defence Services’.
‘General Grant-in-Aid Program for Financial Assistance in the Field of Social Defence’
The Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
Under this act on section 71, the Government has the power to set up the rehabilitation, counseling, and treatment for drug abusers.

Further Schemes

Awareness and preventive education
Drug awareness and Counseling Centers
Regional Resources And Training Centres
Integrated Rehabilitation Centres For Addicts
Survey’s Studies Evaluation And Research On The Subjects Covered Under This Scheme
Technical Exchange And Man Power Development Program

LISTENING TO SPECIALIST

“There is an urgent need to take intensive drug de-addiction measures. Normally, we see that families are alarmed only in case of death due to overdose. Else, they are not proactive. We must ensure their involvement in the de-addiction process.” – Dr. Jagdeep Pal Singh Bhatia, an Addiction psychiatrist

“Most drug-control programmes focus on restricting the supply of illicit drugs. This is not enough. The focus has to shift to demand reduction by preventing addiction and providing more treatment facilities for addicts.” -Dr Atul Ambekar, an additional professor at the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) at the India AIIMS.

“There are only 4,000–4,500 psychiatrists in India and not all are involved in de-addiction treatment. That’s the kind of shortage we face. Clinical psychologists and counselors are also scarce on the ground. Also, there no government-run long-stay homes for drug users and hospitals are forced to discharge patients within a couple of days of their withdrawal symptoms disappearing. Since the risk of relapse is very high once they go back to the same environment, we need long stay homes where drug users can be kept away from their fix.” – Dr. Smita Deshpande, head of a department of psychiatry at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia hospital

WHY PUNJAB IS VICTIM?

Opium: An Old Story

For decades farmers and farm workers in Punjab along with many other parts of India used to consume opium or doda or phukki (traditional name). It’s especially the opium husk that means the leftover husk of the opium plant once the milk has been extracted.

In Punjab at least one-third of the rural population consumes opium. To give you an image, opium consumption in the rural area among the rural population is a bit more like the urban concept of a customary two drinks after a hard day’s work. It might not be great for you, but will not do much harm to you, right? Besides, the daily dose of opium used to cost Rs 30-40 on the pocket.

Drug ‘Problem’ Suddenly?

Very small amount of opium was cultivated in Punjab, traditionally. The supply for the state came mainly from Rajasthan border. The government decided to restrain Punjab’s limited illegal opium production and shut the Rajasthan route, in its attempt to control opium addiction. While the decision was taken in the mid-1980s, it was only in the early 2000s that there was a crackdown. There was a vacuum in the drug market as the Rajasthan route was closed, and that vacuum was filled with pharmaceutical drugs and then heroin.

Heroin is at least three times stronger than opium. A senior drug specialist at AIIMS said that studies have resulted that more than 90% of opium users do not suffer from addiction issues, making it weaker of the two evils.

Not Just a Party Problem

The National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, AIIMS conducted The Punjab Opioid Dependency Survey (PODS), points out that maximum consumption of such substances come from economically weaker sections with limited education and employment. So it’s not always that spoilt rich kids or rock stars consume drugs in Punjab, as is shown in Bollywood movies.

The PODS survey says:

A typical drug addict profile is male, young, Punjabi-speaking and from a lower middle class background.

83 percent are employed,
89 percent have attained some level of addiction
99 percent live with families.

It would be a shocker to know that most addicts earn between Rs 6,000-20,000 a month but need an average of Rs 1,400 a day for drugs. So for daily drug consumption, where does the surplus money come from? Most addicts become small-time peddlers, they buy and supply and keep a small cut, and that is how the drug economy grows.

Government Myopia to Blame?

Pakistan is not only the route from where the heroin is entering the nation.

“Why are we blaming Pakistan for Punjab’s drug menace? It is of our own making. Our own government policy initiative to curb opium created a vacuum in the market which a deadlier and more costly heroin has filled.” – Senior retired security personnel

It was also claimed by highly placed sources within the security establishment that there is a local heroin cottage industry being developed in UP and Rajasthan. The varieties can be differentiated by the peddlers that are produced in UP, Rajasthan from what is coming from across the border.

Rajasthan Headed the ‘Punjab’ Way

Beginning 1^st April 2016, the Rajasthan government has decided to shut all the opium shops. It was revealed in the recent report that there are 264 doda thekas in Rajasthan. Licenses are given to them just like the liquor shops by the state excise department. In Rajasthan, there have been 19,000 licenses given out for the sale of doda by the state government. It will create even bigger impact on villages in Punjab surrounding Rajasthan, while shutting these shop, it is likely to push Rajasthan toward harder and more harmful drugs like heroin.

Experts working in the region claim that it is a suicidal policy decision by the government and eventually Rajasthan will head towards the Punjab way.

Government Response

In January 2016, a shorter version of the PODS report was quietly released on its website. There is a longer and more detailed version which has been kept confidential. No announcement, declaration or discussion on the finding of the report was there.

The reports criticized the governments rehab strategy.

“Admission to a de-addiction centre”, which appears to focus more-upon addiction-treatment strategy in the state, and 10 years will it take to provide a single episode of treatment to the entire opioid dependent population in the state.

It is time that the government understood that drugs in Punjab, is not a supply problem, but mainly a demand problem. And the major fact that needs to be understood is that ‘hurting the supply will not kill the demand’.

DECIPHERING PROBLEM

India always took pride in its culture and diversity, but in recent period Indian population has been immensely exposed towards westernization, and late night parties was never our culture but it was all adopted from the western countries. So is it, that we are overly exposed towards western nation?

Looking at the shocking data’s one must understand that it’s not only the problem of one nation but complete planet earth is suffering from this epidemic. So what’s the solution? Curbing the supplies is the solution? Shutting the routes is the solution? Ordering death penalties is the solution?

No, none of the above can disappear the roots of this evil, but one and only way is to fade away the addiction problem of the population, as diminishing the demands will end the supply.

No doubt that the geographical location of Punjab becomes the significant reason for it being the major affected region of the country. But we were not even able to curb the issue from Punjab and now another problem rise; that of Rajasthan turning almost as Punjab. It’s extremely shocking to know that government itself gave permission for such harmful drugs like doda in Rajasthan. Are the lives of its citizen so cheap that it is being traded openly by its own government?

At the time of Punjab elections, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh put his hand on the gutka (holy text) and vowed to “end the drug menace within four weeks” of coming to power. On July 6, a year and four months later, for first-time convicts has been sought mandatory death sentence by him for manufacture, possession, and smuggling of commercial quantities of narcotics, as is specified in the Act. Government’s carelessness is to such an extent that they can openly say that ‘We cannot expect the problem to disappear in a matter of months’; if such a humongous dilemma can’t be a curb in a month then it’s an hour to sympathize upon youth.

For many years the government has assigned the coming of drugs into the state via Pakistan, then why the drug threat has grown only in the last decade leading to the demand for such harsh legislation? Punjab has been border state since independence, so what’s changed now?

Other than that it’s a complete frightful condition when you hear that last year in the national capital 46 thousand street children were affected by drugs and now the number has jumped to 70 thousand. It’s an alarming situation for the country, when the reports came that even street kids are in narcotics grip then at least government must wake up and take actions before we will be named as drug-addicted India.