In Balochistan, drug addiction has become an alarming issue among adults and teenagers. Most of the people in the province spend lots of money on buying drugs, either to consume it or look for ways to earn money illegally. Regardless of which path they choose, they soon become addicts. They run away from their family and live in shabby places, sometimes on roadsides, and try to escape the reality that they have chosen for themselves.
Drug addiction is a disease that affects your brain as well as your behaviour. Many people are unaware that when you’re addicted to drugs, you can’t resist the urge to use them, no matter how much harm the drugs may cause. This is why the number of drug users has escalated over the years. In 2013, the number of drug users in Balochistan was about 280,000. In Pakistan, the total number of active drug addicts is about 7.6 million, where 78% are male and 22% are female, according to a report published by the UN. The alarming increase in the rate of drug users has had detrimental effects on societies across the country.
The availability of these drugs plays an integral role in the perpetuation of addictive behaviours within families. Therefore, in order to ameliorate the situation, it is important that the federal government in collaboration with each provincial government conduct crackdowns against the illegal selling and buying of narcotics all across the country.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 25th, 2021.
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