BENGALURU: On an average, India loses at least two people every day due to accidental
drug overdose, as per the latest data released by the ministry of home affairs. Experts say the toll could be much higher since many cases go unreported. Psychiatrist Dr A Jagadish, says “There are two issues here.
Overdose on prescription
drugs which mostly involves sleeping pills and painkillers. The other is narcotics. The abusers end up consuming more than they usually do.”
While both types are accidental in nature, the abuse of illicit drugs is a major problem and activists say a holistic approach by all stakeholders is needed. “The biggest problem is identifying the problem. Recently, a Bengaluru couple, both well educated, brought their son to me. It took them years before they realised their son was smoking cannabis and even growing it at home,” Jagadish said.
Psychiatrists, people working with drug users and activists say the problem has turned worse in the past couple of decades, even as thousands of deaddiction centres across the country nurse addicts back to good health. The government’s efforts to cut the supply of drugs have been insufficient, they added.
Most parents think therapy is sufficient to address the behavioural changes in their children — often an indication of drug use —but doctors say it’s not enough.
“Most parents don’t get their children screened for drugs, but we’ve seen that in a majority of such cases, the kid is actually into drugs,” another psychiatrist said.
According to the ministry of home affairs, 2,381 people died due to drug overdose in three years — January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016, with five states accounting for 53% of all cases. Punjab tops the table with 20% (468), followed by Tamil Nadu with 15% (348). Karnataka lost 98 lives in this period. Add to this, 12 suicides every day caused by drugs and alcohol, as TOI reported in December 2017, and the problem gets amplified.
Siddharth Upadhyay, founder of STAIRS, a not-forprofit organisation working against drugs for over 15 years, says “There are two major ways to address the issue — reduce the demand for drugs, which is where NGOs, educational institutions and the society play a role, and curb the supply, which government and its agencies must do efficiently.”
While acknowledging efforts are being made by most state governments, Upadhyay said there’s a lot to be desired and people need to know that we’re allowing drugs to kill our youth.
