Srinagar Aug 19: The drug addiction is turning into shape of a pandemic in Kashmir as the valley’s major drug de-addiction Centre sees 120 drug addicts daily.
Drug abuse and illicit trafficking continue to pose a significant threat to individuals, families, and communities worldwide.
According to official figures, SMHS Hospital’s de-addiction centre sees 120 drug addicts daily indicating over 43,000 drug addicts visit the centre annually. Over the last one year, there has been over 75 percent increase in OPD visits of drug addicts.
Police records show that from 103 kg of heroin seized in 2019, it doubled to 240 kg in 2022. Three out of four drug users in Kashmir use heroin.
For the last two years, at least 1636 drug related cases were registered including 815 and 1021 cases during 2021 and 2022, respectively, indicating three-four drug related cases get registered on an average daily.
A recent government survey says that in 2022-23, substance abuse in the Valley is 2.87 percent (of population) and opioid dependence is 2.23 percent (of population). Four years ago, according to a 2019 central government report on ‘Extent of Substance Use in India’, the total opioid prevalence in Jammu (not just Kashmir) was just 1.5 percent.
A doctor at GMC Srinagar said drug addiction is prevalent in every corner of the valley. “There has been an alarming increase in drug addict cases. Drug addiction is prevalent among educated as well as uneducated ones. Although, youth are more involved towards drugs but there are also people around 50 years of age who too consume drugs and devastate themselves and their families,” the doctor said.
Asked why more people were going towards drugs in the valley, he replied, “One basic factor is easy availability of substances here. Some see it as a mode of recreation and then it becomes very difficult for them to come out of this addiction. So we need to raise our voices against drug addiction, including to stop its supply and make people aware about its consequences.”
J&K formulated its first drug de-addiction policy in 2018, aiming to integrate de-addiction with healthcare systems in order to mainstream and destigmatise it. The policy enlisted 14 governmental departments to work on various aspects of substance abuse.
