ASSIGNEMENT

DRUG ADDICTION IN
PAKISTAN
PAKISTAN AND GEOPOLITICAL STUDIES
Chaudhary Taimoor Ehsan (174)
(123)
Contents
Drug Addiction Grows Among Women In Pakistan....................................................................................4
Poverty, Joblessness Pushing Youth To Drug Addiction.............................................................................5
Drugs Addiction & The Youth....................................................................................................................5
Pakistan Fights Drug Addiction...................................................................................................................6
Drug Addiction..........................................................................................................................................10
 Drug Addiction In Pakistan
The study of hyphothesis for this is related to the drug addiction and its effect on society and how to
fight it and what government is doing it is based from year 2010 till now because that is the booming
stage.

Widespread drug abuse may be indicated by the fact that almost five percent of the adult population is
using drugs in Pakistan.

Like many of the countrys other human development problems, the issue of drug abuse touches the
most vulnerable: the majority of drug users in South Asia belong to the poorest strata of society.

In addition, the presence of a large drug industry in Pakistan leads to a redistribution of income from the
poor to a few rich individuals who control the drug trade.

Although almost all South Asian countries have enacted strict laws for fighting drug trafficking and drug
use, these measures have produced very disappointing results.

One problem is that corruption has also touched the fight against drug abuse in Pakistan and other
South Asian countries, since drug traffickers often escape punishment by giving bribes to get out of
being held accountable for their actions.

http://www.yespakistan.com/people/drug_addic.asp

Drug Addiction Grows Among Women In Pakistan

By Amna Nasir Jamal

For CentralAsiaOnline.com
2010-03-02
A woman inhales drugs in
The problem of drug addiction among women cannot be Lahore. Drug addiction has
separated from other aspects of their social conditioning such as increased steadily among girls
racism, sexism and poverty that are essential to understanding and women in Pakistan.
drug abuse in women , said Tasneem Nazir, a clinical
psychologist at Lahores Mayo Hospital.
Women who seek treatment for alcohol and drug problems report a connection among domestic
violence, childhood abuse, and substance abuse. Many addicted women refuse to go into drug
rehabilitation programmes. Nazir suggested that the way to remedy the problem is to address
violence and sexual abuse, unsafe housing, unemployment, stereotyping of sexual roles, and the
lack of health care and child care, all of which contribute to the depression and hopelessness
linked to substance abuse by women.

Sajjad Ahmed Bakshi, force commander of the Anti Narcotics Force , Punjab, told Central Asia
Online that though information on womens drug use is limited, drug addiction has increased
steadily among girls and women.

Poverty, Joblessness Pushing Youth To Drug Addiction

Ever growing poverty and joblessness and resultant despair and hopelessness is pushing Pakistani youth
towards drug addiction and every year about 0.6 million new addicts are joining the army of drug addicts.
Peer pressure at school, societal taboos, economic frustrations and lack of healthy recreational outlets are
among the major reasons why people, especially the youth, are succumbing to the lure of addictive drugs.
The country has drug dens - places where people smoke hashish, heroin and other drugs.
The major reason of drug addiction in youth is termed poverty and joblessness.
Growing street crime ratio in cities like Karachi is directly related to growing drug addiction amongst
youth.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=32877&Cat=4&dt=2/25/2011

Drugs Addiction & The Youth

By Sahibzada Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri

People in our part of the world are increasingly becoming addicted to all kinds of drugs including street
drugs and prescription drugs etc. Drugs addiction is a very serious problem and even if the addict is using
prescribed drugs, the ill effects can be very harmful indeed. The youth that takes to drugs are more likely
to commit suicide because of the harmful effects of the drugs they are taking.Misinformation about drugs
is another reason for these deaths as the addict or user may take the drugs in wrong doses, which can then
lead to a fatality.It is time that societies and the governments took a firm stand on preventing the drug
addiction through a mix of reforms.There should be a community plan that should be implemented to stop
addiction to drugs. In fact, all preventive measures need to address different forms of drug abuse and
addiction and should also target different types of drug abuse and addictions.

http://www.youth.com.pk/en.php?tid=12365

Pakistan Fights Drug Addiction

By Amna Nasir Jamal

For CentralAsiaOnline.com
2011-03-22

LAHORE – A 17-year-old boy was once a brilliant college student with a promising future.

“But he was introduced to this hell by one of his classmates,” said Kawish, an older brother of
the unnamed teen. “Now everything has changed.”

The “hell” his friends took him to was the world of drug use.

“We sent him to a rehabilitation clinic, but his addiction drove him back to the streets,” Kawish
said.

This 17-year-old wasn’t the only victim; teens from all walks of life have fallen prey.

Near shrines and historical structures, one can see addicts dressed in rags, lying unconscious in a
corner or wandering aimlessly.

Over the years, the scope of drug control has broadened. Regulators once were concerned only
with monitoring the production of medical drugs, but now they are working with international
partners to co-operate against the problems associated with illicit drugs.

Pakistan is among those nations with the highest number of drug addicts – some 5m people. of
whom 500,000 are chronic drug abusers, and 60,000 inject drugs with needles. The mean age of
first heroin use, according to National Drug Abuse Survey, fell from 26 to 22 years in a five-year
span, according to the Rapid Situation Assessment Study conducted in 2003.
For many youths, substance abuse — even that of tobacco and alcohol — often precedes
academic problems such as lower grades, higher truancy and decisions to quit school.

Drug abuse in Pakistan is reportedly increasing because of poverty, unemployment and low
literacy rates.

Awareness

The Ministry of Narcotics Control and the federal and provincial education departments have
planned anti-drug messages for incorporation in textbooks for schools, colleges and universities.

“For this purpose, services of educationists and experts will be hired,” Maj. Gen. Syed Shakeel
Hussain, Director General Anti Narcotics Force (ANF), told Central Asia Online.

Shakeel emphasised the role of teachers against the drug menace and suggested that educational
institutions should be declared “smoking free zones.”

“When it comes to ensuring a successful future for our nation’s youth, it is often educators —
teachers, and other school personnel — who empower them to make the healthy choices
necessary to excel in life,” he added.

“The curriculum will enable the student to produce positive lifestyle changes,” he said.

The national anti-narcotics policy, approved by the cabinet in July, aims to hit both supply and
demand. It envisions eliminating poppy cultivation and preventing trafficking and production of
narcotics.

Simultaneously, it seeks to reduce demand by educating the population about the dangers of drug
use, Shakeel said.

Parents are vital to protecting their children from drugs, he added.

Young most vulnerable

The large number of boys and girls taking drugs at vulnerable ages is a burning issue that the
public sector has the ability to publicise.

“My parents separated at a very young age. I was looked after by my father, and he is an
alcoholic,” said Imran, a patient at the rehabilitation centre in Lahore. “I studied hard and got
into one of the best universities but unknowingly got trapped into drug addiction. My friends
take drugs, and my father drinks on a routine basis. I want to quit drugs, and that is why I am
here.”

Maida, 25, started using drugs at the age of 15. She was using hashish (charas) and other drugs
for entertainment. She was unaware that she could become addicted.

Maida, from an upper-class background, had to drop out of school and is undergoing treatment
for the fifth time in three years.

“I want to quit drugs for good, but my family does not support me,” she said. “My parents want
to kick me out of the house; perhaps my relationships with men irritate them.”

Addicts need attention

Drug abuse is common because of a lack of awareness and guidance.

“Study suggests that a well-designed in-school and community communication campaign really
can dramatically cut marijuana and alcohol use among young teens,” said Dr. Nasir Saeed Khan,
Associate Professor Psychiatry Department, Services Hospital, Lahore. “Unfortunately, our
schools are not drug-free, especially privately run institutions, where majority of drugs are being
traded.”

“Teenagers, college-goers studying in prestigious institutions come to us in great numbers for

treatment,” he said. “It is a pity that teachers and parents are not keeping a watchful eye on their
offspring.”
Drug abuse could be prevented by bridging the gap between parents and children, Dr. Haroon
Rashid Chaudhry, professor at the Fatima Jinnah Medical College and director of the Fountain
House, said.

“Media could be used as a tool to create awareness among the people. The society should accept
its darker side and consequently work on it to pave the way for a better future,” he said.

http://centralasiaonline.com/cocoon/caii/xhtml/en_GB/features/caii/features/pakistan/main/2011/
03/22/feature-01

Pakistan is today notorious for many things, but in the last 20 years, drug production and
addiction has increasingly become one of them. The use of legal and illegal drugs has a long
history in Pakistan.

Today, Pakistan is not only one of the main exporters of heroin; it has also become a net
importer of drugs. It is estimated that about 50 tons of opium are smuggled into Pakistan for
processing heroin for domestic use. The current trend of substance abuse among youth and
especially school age children is troubling. This terrible trend is growing in women also. Many
fingers have been pointed at the youth themselves while at the same time ignoring the very
people who support the youths drug habits, and wantonly purvey rot among the youth.

The height of societal breakdown and decadence comes when the older generation fails to live up
to their responsibility and duty of guiding the younger generation. Drug peddlers and barons are
increasingly targeting the youth, a symbol of freshness and revolution, for money and for their
mental derangement. It is pitiful that drug peddlers lead the youth into temptations through
advertisement and glamour. They totally ruin the physical and mental skill of the young people.

These drug peddlers have no regard for the consequences of their bloodied actions. Many youths
have committed suicide in the malicious tents of pathological drug abuse, and not being able to
distinguish the concords of life from the discords.

Currently, drugs ranging from alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine, heroin to hashish and
many others are readily available to young children and the youth among the university and
college in Pakistan. These portend a great economic problem to the majority of the third world
where development aspirations are generally pegged on manpower and expertise, which is
currently wanted in these countries.

Our youth are dying morally, socially, psychologically and physically from drug abuse and
addiction. The duty of parents in looking after their youth has also come into serious focus here.
Before anything else, parental care is the most important control and preventive measure against
drug abuse and addiction. The parents should do enough to guide and be with their children at all
times.

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/01/drugs-addiction/

Drug Addiction
By Kiran Tahir

Approximately 5 million drug addicts in Pakistan are not only destroying their lives but also
affecting every sector of society, including the business sector causing accidents, reducing or
loss of productivity, poor work and absenteeism as well as other serious adverse effects, says a
report prepared by Pakistan Drug Free Foundation. Drug addiction affects all parts of society as
the rapidly increasing number of drug addicts in the country in the business sector as the ratio of
the drug users in labor class and lower middle class increases day by due to one or other reasons.

Approximately an addict spends Rs150 per day on drugs. There are 5 million drug addicts in the
country, so 500,000 addicts spend Rs750 million in just one day, in a month 22,500 million and
in a year Rs270 billion. These are the direct expenses on drugs. There is no data available on the
losses borne by our economy due to absenteeism, wastage of time, low productivity and
accidents of drug abuser in workplaces.

One of the consequences of drug abuse in the workplace is that the economy of Pakistan pays a
big price for it – employee accident and errors, high illness rates, wastage of time, low
productivity and absenteeism are just a few examples of the affects of illicit drug use.
A survey conducted by the United States` health and human service indicates that drug abuser
functions at approximately 65 per cent of their capacity.

Up to 40 per cent of industrial fatalities and 47 per cent of industrial injuries can be linked to
drug abuse. Employees who abuse drugs are 3.6 times more likely to be involved in a workplace
accident and five times more likely to file a worker`s compensation claim. An estimated 500
million work days are lost annually due alcohol and drug abuse in America.

Employees who abuse drugs are more likely to request early dismissal or time off, 2.5 times
more likely to be late for work.

Illicit drug users are more than twice as likely than those who do not abuse drugs.

Employees who abuse drugs cost their employers about twice as much in medical claims.

According to the United States National Institute of Drug Addiction, almost 10 per cent of all
employees use drugs.

According to the data mentioned above, the problem of drug abuse at workplaces is more in the
developed countries of the world. This problem also exists in Pakistan but no authentic data is
available about the financial losses incurred due to drug abuse at workplaces.

At this point, some questions are raised for the authorities who are responsible for such a
financial disaster.

There is a strong need to launch a grand operation to eliminate the silent killer by government
and the business community.