Despite regular claims of vigilance by the concerned authorities the use of drugs or rather its abuse, is spreading unabated. There is no single age group of people more affected by drugs than young people. Nevertheless, drugs affect each and every one of us, directly or indirectly: in our homes, in our families, in our schools, in our dorm, in our community, town or city. The reasons why a young person gets addicted to these harmful drugs are many.
Curiosity, urge for pleasure, social excommunication, mental health, lack of self-reliance is some of the reasons why these youth becomes a drug addict. Lack of self-confidence, or inferiority complex, has been marked as a major cause of one’s becoming a drug addict. Excessive stress as well as lack of parental involvement in child’s activities is among the leading causes for drug addiction among youths and teens.
The problem of drug addiction is all the more serious because the addicts are mostly young school or college going boys and girls, the future of the country. So, it is imperative to see that such young boys and girls may, by no means, fall victim to drug addiction. It is safe to say that drug smuggling will not be curtailed until the relevant authorities are not made capable or clean.
Another problem exacerbating the situation is the society’s and by extension, the state’s approach towards drug abuse. A drug addict is not viewed as a member of society in need of help, but cast out and condemned as a hopeless delinquent. In a way, the person is reduced to and defined through the product that they are consuming.
Most organisations that offer treatment are non-governmental, and they are not reaching the majority of users. For many, they are either too far away or far too expensive. As soon as out of facilities, they are on their way to come back again. The government should not only do its part and set up cheap, and where necessary, free rehabilitation centres but also scrutinize currently operating NGOs.
By not effectively dealing with it, it is failing to fulfill its responsibility towards victims and leaving the rest of the country ever more vulnerable to the wide-ranging and disastrous effects of drugs. The government must take administrative, legal and policy-measures so that the menace comes to an end.