
I request the government to take serious steps towards this issue and make strict laws in this regard
KARACHI: The compulsive and out of control use of drug is defined as drug addiction. In the last few decades, drug addiction has exponentially increased in Pakistan. According to the UN, an estimated 8.9 million people in the country are drug users. Cannabis is the most commonly used drug while other drugs such as cocaine and heroin are abused.
UNODC calculates that more than 800,000 Pakistanis aged between 15 and 64 use heroin regularly. It is also estimated that up to 44 tons of processed heroin is consumed annually in Pakistan. Furthermore, Pakistan’s illegal drug trade is believed to generate up to $2 billion a year.
Drug addiction is increasing in educational institutions across Pakistan. Students, whether at school, colleges or universities, are getting addicted to substances at an alarming rate, threatening not only their own future, but those of the people around them, including family and friends.
I request the government to take serious steps towards this issue and make strict laws in this regard.
Muhammad Talha
Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2019.
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