Hafeezullah Kakar
Balochistan has become a veritable snack-pit of drug cartels which has allowed the availability of drugs with much ease increasing the number of drug addicts over time. The prevailing situation of ramping-up in drug addiction in the province has worsened the very fabric of the society. Drugs are putting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people at risk. Not only the drugs addicts are affected, but their families and societies are also environed by it. According to a report from the United Nations, there are 230,000 drug users in Balochistan which is surprisingly high in accordance with its small population.
A drug is any substance which, when taken into the body, alters the body’s function either physically or psychologically. The occurring of changes in the body means that the individual is likely to behave abnormally. The affected-individual behaves rudely, speaks vulgarly, and may harm others. It is not only limited to a single individual (the drugs-addict), but it influences all those who are in touch with him/her.
Getting to the bottom of the issue, I have discovered that drug addiction stems from several reasons like environment, peer-pressure, trauma, and mental illness. In an environment, a bad company can make a person indulge in taking drugs. Friends and colleagues who are taking drugs influence others who surround them. It often starts with a small intake of drugs maybe for fun or for testing it, but they become immersed in its effects and thus become addicted to drugs.
Mental illness and drug addiction often go hand in hand. According to National Alliance on Mental Illness, more than one-half of the drug users are also dealing with mental illness. Some mental-ill drug abusers justify it as it relieves their pain and stress associated with mental illness.
A person with peer pressure reacts to various things. Such people being provoked by the nature makes abrupt decisions, recklessly, without thinking of its consequences in the long term.
Traumatic events mark a scar on the minds of people, and victims choose to pacify their pain with a drug of their choice. Its causes are often neglect, verbal abuse, an accident, sexual abuse, physical altercations and etc.
Studies have shown that those people whose parents or other family members take drugs often lack proper immunizations, medical care, and other necessities such as food and shelter.
Drugs like Methamphetamine abusers often produce the drug inside their homes and apartments using hazardous chemicals such as hydriodic acid and anhydrous ammonia. Children who inhabit such homes are exposed to inhaling these hazardous chemicals and gases which damage their health.
Drug abusers in Balochistan create turmoil in society. Many criminals that are involved in street crimes are drug abusers. Springing from small scales, these crimes complicate in the shape of terrorism, kidnapping for ransom, murders and etc.
Those people who take drugs are neither employed in private firms nor in government institutions. Their inability to work in offices and work fields makes them deprived of getting any opportunity to earn, not to talk about the need for their support to their families. Hence, they start begging. The capital city of Balochistan, Quetta, is the exact epitome of it. Their families are also poverty-torn.
Those societies which have a large number of drug abusers are prone to high inflation and poverty because their workforce is wasted, and their domestic market productivity suffers, paving a way for foreign imports with high prices. Furthermore, they can be easily manipulated for terrorism, target killings, and suicide attacks.
Owing to the bad company of the drug addicts, people tend to avoid them, and they are, generally, not welcomed in public gatherings. Even the families of the drug addicts remain at risk of being affected. Those, drug abusers, who are taken into police custody are somewhat onus on the police department. The resources spent in keeping them in jails are a burden on the budget of this impoverished province.
In the long run, drug addicts are increasing by a large proportion in our society which is manifest that the demand for the drug is increasing. The root cause of drug addiction is its demand, and severe measures are necessary to nip it in the bud. If the demand is reduced then its reduction is likely to follow. Drug addiction is tantamount to a pandemic that has grown over time but not being addressed. It has thrived fervently in Balochistan, but, unfortunately, the concerned authorities have not tackled it as a grave issue. Moreover, the resources available, in fighting against drugs, are meagerly intertwined with mismanagement and corruption. Heretofore, the issue has been further aggravated in size and scope.
In the bottom line, the best possible measure to eradicate drug addiction in Balochistan is preventive education by our youth. Preventive education is referred to as social awareness against drug addiction through social campaigns, social media pages, and study circles. The lack of social awareness campaigns against drug addiction in Balochistan can be seen explicitly. The government has paid no heed to the issue. Moreover, less attention is given to it by our youth and social media to sort out this malicious issue. Signifying the steps that are indispensable for drug demand reduction at the grass-roots levels entails sincere efforts. Hence, there is an urgent need to begin social media campaigns, organizing seminars, conducting study circles, and distributing pamphlets against drug addiction. It is a humble request to the government and the civil society to provide its assistance in rooting out drug culture from Balochistan. More and more youth volunteers are hoped to come to provide their ministrations to make this society a better place.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article are those of the author and Balochistan Voices not necessarily agrees with them.
Share your comments!
