OPINION: Preventing teen drug abuse challenges and solutions

Today Drug addiction has emerged as a major challenge for the border state of Punjab. It has members of all age groups from school children to the youth in its grip. The consumption of smack is particularly on the rise among the youth, while synthetic drugs are easily available at chemist shops. The growing incidence of crime bears testimony. The State needs a well-defined policy that is strictly implemented to fight the drug menace as the future of every society is dependent on the quality and potential of its youth towards their respective work and role in society and not throwing the blame game amongst the political arrivals. It is more important for the relevant  State authorities to plan to curb this ongoing drug problem in Punjab instead of working on procuring the data of percentage. As one cannot over-emphasize the need for preventing the drug abuse.

Having dealt with several cases related to drugs in courts, I feel that the drug abuse usually starts in the early teens, reaching a peak around twenties and finally it becomes routine habit. During adolescence it is either ‘peers as role models’ or tendency to ‘take risk by breaking established rules and values’ that draw them to this. Social influence plays a key role in making drug use attractive to youth.

The first temptations for drug abuse may come in the form of pressure to ‘act grown up’ and have a good time by smoking cigarettes or consuming alcohol and later drugs.

It is rare that the first contact with illicit drugs happens on the initiative of the users. Drug peddlers generally befriend their victims before they offer drugs for the first time. Dealers recruit youngsters who, in a few years, become engaged in drug trafficking very effectively.

Teens are lured by the easy money, wealth and the glamorous fast life of the drug kingpins escaping from the reality of school or college life, and the responsibility of their family as well as society at large.

Although drug trafficking is controlled by adults outside educational institutions, the immediate source of drugs to most students is other students. Drug abuse frequently progresses in stages – from occasional to regular, then to multiple drug use, and ultimately to total dependency.

With each successive stage, it intensifies, becomes more varied and results in increasingly debilitating effect. Psychological dependence not only erodes educational performance but can also destroy ties to family.

The child goes from taking drugs to feel good, to taking them to keep from feeling bad. Overtime drug use itself heightens the bad feelings and can leave the user suicidal.

Behavioural disorder and parental disharmony are some of the common factors leading to drug abuse, besides overambitious adolescents having stressed adolescents having low academic aspiration and motivation or poor performance at school.

Pervasive drug use creates a climate in the schools and universities that is destructive to learning. It is closely tied to truancy and dropping out of school because regular use increases restlessness and demand for constant supply as a result of which skipping classes becomes a need and a habit.

Also, drug use is intimately related to crime and misconduct, both at school and college levels. These may range from criminal acts like stealing from one’s own house to team attempts at robberies for want of money to maintain the constant supply of drugs.

In fact, it is the drug suppliers who are also responsible for the drug-abuse. They meet the demand for drugs by developing new strains, producing reprocessed, purified drugs, and using underground laboratories to create more powerful forms of illegal drugs.

Consequently, the users are exposed to heightened or unknown levels of risk. The support of community is very essential is creating an anti-drug social environment. Society should be educated about the ill-effects of drug abuse through different social organizations, mass media, school health programmes and even through religious bodies. A consistent message that drug use is wrong, dangerous and intolerable should be widely propagated and reinforced through strong disciplinary measure.

The enforcing agencies should drastically reduce availability of illicit drugs and smash the distribution network. Clinics may detoxify addicts and educational institutions guide their pupils how to get rid of this social evil. Its a fact that the problem of drug abuse in Punjab is huge, and today drugs have the potential to threaten the life of a nation as a whole, what to talk about Punjab alone Drugs and taking away our youth from socially useful and productive work, disrupting academic work, shattering families increasing crime overburdening social service agencies.

So, the best way to fight drugs is to begin preventive efforts right from the teenage in order to not allow the ‘bud’ take the shape of an ugly and dangerously spreading need.

(The author is practicing  Advocate & Former Additional Advocate General  of Punjab)