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The epidemic of substance abuse in young generation has assumed alarming dimensions in India.
Changing cultural values, increasing economic stress and dwindling supportive bonds are leading to
initiation into substance use. Cannabis, heroin, and Indian-produced pharmaceutical drugs are the most
frequently abused drugs in India. Drug use, misuse or abuse is also primarily due to the nature of the
drug abused, the personality of the individual and the addicts immediate environment. The processes
of industrialization, urbanization and migration have led to loosening of the traditional methods of social
control rendering an individual vulnerable to the stresses and strains of modern life.

Natural Vulnerability to Drug Abuse


India with a population of over 1 billion people, spread over an area of 3.28 million sq. kms. (3214 km.
from North to South and 2933 km. from East to West), has about 3 million (about 0.3 per cent of total
population) estimated victims of different kinds of drug usages, excluding alcohol dependents. Such
population comes from diverse socio-economic, cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds. The use of
dependence-producing substances, in some form or the other, has been a universal phenomenon. In
India also, the abuse of alcohol, opium and cannabis had not been entirely unknown.
India is the biggest supplier of licit demand for opium required primarily for medicinal purposes. Besides
this, India is located close to the major poppy growing areas of the world, with "Golden Crescent" on the
Northwest and "Golden Triangle" on the North-East. These make India vulnerable to drug abuse
particularly in poppy growing areas and along the transit/trafficking routes

The Scenario - Need for State Intervention


Over the years, drug addiction is becoming an area of concern as traditional moorings, effective social
taboos, emphasis on self-restraint and pervasive control and discipline of the joint family and
community are eroding.
The processes of industrialization, urbanization and migration have led to loosening of the traditional
methods of social control rendering an individual vulnerable to the stresses and strains of modern life.
The fast changing social milieu, among other factors, is mainly contributing to the proliferation of drug
abuse, both of traditional and of new psychoactive substances.
The introduction of synthetic drugs and intravenous drug use leading to HIV/AIDS has added a new
dimension to the problem, especially in the Northeast states of the country.

Studies/Reports - Reported Trends in Drug Addiction


The rough estimation i.e. about 3 million population dependent on drugs (0.3% of the population),
excluding those dependent on alcohol, has been the basis for various interventions. A long felt need to
have an authentic profile of drug addicts and accurate data about the extent, pattern and trends of drug
abuse has been accomplished through a survey undertaken in collaboration with the UN0DC and ILO
(Project D-83). This project has three major components viz. National Household Survey, Rapid
Assessment Survey and Drug Abuse Monitoring System with sub-studies on drug abuse among rural
population, prison population, women, and in border areas. The data emerging out of this survey and
the studies undertaken through professional agencies would be used for future planning to address the
multi-faceted problem of drug abuse.
The survey and studies indicate a high concentration of drug addiction in certain social segments and
high-risk groups, such as, commercial sex workers, transportation workers, and street children and in
the northeastern states/border areas and opium growing regions of the country.
The situation in northeast states has been little aggravated due to high incidence of Intravenous Drug
Use (IDU), especially in the state of Manipur, leading to HIV/AIDS. The sero-positivity amongst them is
about 70%.

Constitutional and Legal Framework


Article 47 of the Constitution of India directs the State to regard the raising of the level of nutrition
and the standard of living of its people and the improvement of public health as among its primary
duties, and, in particular, to endeavour to bring about prohibition of consumption, except for medicinal
purposes, of intoxicating drinks and drugs which are injurious to health.
Section 71 of the Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (as amended) provides as under:
"Power of Government to establish centres for identification, treatment, etc., of addicts and for supply
of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances The Government may, in its discretion, establish as many centres as it thinks fit for identification,
treatment, education, after-care, rehabilitation, social re-integration of addicts ....."
The Government may make rules consistent with this Act providing for the establishment,
appointment, maintenance, management and superintendence of ..... the centres referred to in subsection (1) and for the appointment, training, powers, duties and persons employed in such centres

Awareness and Preventive Education

The Counselling and Awareness Centers are engaged in a wide range of awareness generation
programme in varied community settings including village panchayats, schools etc. Besides these
Centers, the Ministry has been actively utilizing the various media channels, print as well as audio-visual
for educating the people on the ill effects of drug abuse and also disseminating information on the
service delivery.
The overall approach is based on the need to comprehensively address the widespread ignorance and
lack of information on the ill- effects of drug abuse prevention/rehabilitation services and to build up a
climate of abstinence from drugs through sensitising the community at large.
In this perspective, the strategy for public awareness about the damage consequences of drug abuse
takes into account the culture-specific aspects of the problem. A differential approach has been adopted
towards educating the public vis--vis groups at risk.

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