The war against drugs continues...
According to a survey by the district police department over 80,000 people in Sargodga are drug addicts.
SARGODHA:
According to a survey by the district police department over 80,000 people in Sargodga are drug addicts.
“Police, teachers, students and doctors need to come forward if we are to curb the use of narcotics in the district,” Superintendent Police Shakir Hussain said on Saturday. “We hope that we can eliminate the spreading vice of drug abuse this year,” he said.
A recent seminar organised by the Health Department addressed problems associated with drug addiction. Relatives of drug addicts were invited to the event. “I haven’t seen my son in several years. He left the house after he began to take heroin,” said Chak NB-16 resident Kamaluddin. “The only time we see him is when he comes to ask for money to buy drugs,” he said.
Executive District Officer (EDO) health Dr Habib said that drug and alcohol usage was extremely high in the district. “Sargodha has some of the highest figures pertaining to drug addicts,” he said adding, “Most of the addicts are found near shrines or railway tracks but it is not uncommon to see them gathered in market corners.”
District Headquarter Hospital medical superintendent, Dr Sikandar Hayat Warraich, said, “Everyone knows there are many drug dens in the district. Even though there are regular crackdowns on addicts, they seem to make no difference. The men just end up meeting somewhere else,” he said.
Warraich said that the district health department had tried to promote drug rehabilitation facilities in the area.
“The problem is that few men actually bother staying for the entire course of their treatment.
Most of them just want a free meal and after three or four days they leave because they crave heroin,” he said.
SP Shakir Hussain conceded that it was incredibly hard to keep track of all the drug circles in the district.
“The problem is tracing the suppliers. We try and follow the supply but no matter how many bootleggers or drug dealers we catch more crop up,” he said.
The EDO said that the consequences of drug abuse and alcohol needed to be highlighted by all segments of society for the crackdown to truly prove effective. “Everyone needs to get on board.
Teachers and civil society need to address this issue. Young people need to know the consequences of taking drugs,” he said, adding “Many of the addicts we end up seeing are only thirteen years old. Their lives are over even before they have begun.”
In 2010, the Sargodha police registered 1,234 cases related to narcotics. Police officials arrested 1,350 people and seized over 160kg of heroin, 300kg of hashish and also confiscated around 25,000 litres of liquor during different raids in the district.“Unemployment is one of the main reasons behind the rise in the use of narcotics,” the SP said.
“There are several areas in Balochistan and near the border where large quantities of narcotics are produced but law enforcement agencies are not strong enough to curb the practice. Most of these drugs slip into Punjab,” Hussain said.
He added, “While everything else is getting expensive, the things that seem to be getting cheaper are drugs and alcohol. That is why more and more people are getting hooked.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 4th, 2011.
According to a survey by the district police department over 80,000 people in Sargodga are drug addicts.
“Police, teachers, students and doctors need to come forward if we are to curb the use of narcotics in the district,” Superintendent Police Shakir Hussain said on Saturday. “We hope that we can eliminate the spreading vice of drug abuse this year,” he said.
A recent seminar organised by the Health Department addressed problems associated with drug addiction. Relatives of drug addicts were invited to the event. “I haven’t seen my son in several years. He left the house after he began to take heroin,” said Chak NB-16 resident Kamaluddin. “The only time we see him is when he comes to ask for money to buy drugs,” he said.
Executive District Officer (EDO) health Dr Habib said that drug and alcohol usage was extremely high in the district. “Sargodha has some of the highest figures pertaining to drug addicts,” he said adding, “Most of the addicts are found near shrines or railway tracks but it is not uncommon to see them gathered in market corners.”
District Headquarter Hospital medical superintendent, Dr Sikandar Hayat Warraich, said, “Everyone knows there are many drug dens in the district. Even though there are regular crackdowns on addicts, they seem to make no difference. The men just end up meeting somewhere else,” he said.
Warraich said that the district health department had tried to promote drug rehabilitation facilities in the area.
“The problem is that few men actually bother staying for the entire course of their treatment.
Most of them just want a free meal and after three or four days they leave because they crave heroin,” he said.
SP Shakir Hussain conceded that it was incredibly hard to keep track of all the drug circles in the district.
“The problem is tracing the suppliers. We try and follow the supply but no matter how many bootleggers or drug dealers we catch more crop up,” he said.
The EDO said that the consequences of drug abuse and alcohol needed to be highlighted by all segments of society for the crackdown to truly prove effective. “Everyone needs to get on board.
Teachers and civil society need to address this issue. Young people need to know the consequences of taking drugs,” he said, adding “Many of the addicts we end up seeing are only thirteen years old. Their lives are over even before they have begun.”
In 2010, the Sargodha police registered 1,234 cases related to narcotics. Police officials arrested 1,350 people and seized over 160kg of heroin, 300kg of hashish and also confiscated around 25,000 litres of liquor during different raids in the district.“Unemployment is one of the main reasons behind the rise in the use of narcotics,” the SP said.
“There are several areas in Balochistan and near the border where large quantities of narcotics are produced but law enforcement agencies are not strong enough to curb the practice. Most of these drugs slip into Punjab,” Hussain said.
He added, “While everything else is getting expensive, the things that seem to be getting cheaper are drugs and alcohol. That is why more and more people are getting hooked.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 4th, 2011.