Drug abuse can be thought of as more like a contagious disease, it spreads from one person to another
LAHORE: Amongst the numerous challenges that our country faces today, the one that is most understated and under emphasised is drug abuse by our youth. This issue is often not given the importance that it deserves due to the greater emphasis on the broader problems of Pakistan. It is given less importance when compared to other issues such as terrorism, inflation and energy crisis. As a result, the threat continues to grow due to the lack of commitment to resolve it. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Pakistan has 6.7 million people addicted to drugs and this number is increasing at a rapid rate.
First, it is essential to understand why these youngsters become involved in drug abuse. They do so on the insistence of their peers, who themselves are badly affected by drug abuse. Some of them even threaten to terminate their friendship on the basis of a refusal.
Drug abuse can be thought of as more like a contagious disease, it spreads from one person to another. Many students experience drugs thinking of it as a one-off activity and taking lightly the addictiveness and lethality of the drug at the time. They are perhaps unaware of the addictive effect that the drug would have on them.
Secondly, we must try to determine how people have access to these drugs in the first place. The number of drug dealers operating in urban cities such as Lahore is staggering. As the victims of drug abuse rapidly increase, drastic action needs to be taken. Parents need to keep a check on their children’s expenditures and ensure that they are aware of where their money is spent. But if this menace of drug abuse has to be ended, then much stronger and effective steps have to be taken. Educational institutions need to take greater responsibility and should be held accountable. Drug tests should be conducted periodically in education centres and students found guilty of drug abuse should be sent to drug rehabilitation centres for medical treatment and counselling.
Ahmed Sabeeh Ghumman
Published in The Express Tribune, September 16th, 2017.
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