Stop it .. Please !!

Narcotics 

 According to pharmacology: Any of a group of drugs which produce numbness and stupor. They are used medicinally to relieve pain but are sometimes also taken for their pleasant effects; prolonged use may cause addiction

• Drugs such as heroin, morphine, pethidine, etc. speed up the body’s nervous system and create a feeling of energy. They are also called “uppers” because of their ability to make you feel very awake. Stimulants have the opposite effect of depressants. When the effects of a stimulant wear off, the user is typically left with feelings of sickness and a loss of energy. Constant use of such drugs can have very negative effects on the user. In order to prevent extreme negative side effects of these drugs and the impact they have on life

• Youth in our country is especially vulnerable to this menace. Drug abuse along with the abuse of alcohol coupled with smoking of tobacco products is taking a heavy toll on the health of the youth. Drug abuse and misuse can cause numerous health problems, and in serious cases death can occur. It entails not only health costs but also economic and social costs.

• • Economic costs: The drugs take the edge off memory, concentration, creativity, and drive
  • Social costs: Illegal           drugs   not       only     have     dangerous        health impacts but they are a significant contributor to crime. They are a major activity and income source for organised crime groups. Like alcohol, illegal drugs can contribute to road accidents and violent incidents, and to family breakdown and social dysfunction. Unsafe injecting drug use is also a major  driver  of         blood-borne     virus    infections        like hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS

Statistics and Analysis

• Trends and patterns of drug trafficking in the country demonstrate that there is a gradual shift from traditional/natural drugs towards synthetic drugs that are being trafficked. Trafficking of drugs takes place overwhelmingly through land borders followed by sea and air routes. Given the vulnerability of the borders to drug trafficking, India has tried to tackle the problem through the strategy of drug supply and demand reduction, which involves enacting laws, co-operating with voluntary organisations, securing its borders and coasts by increasing surveillance, as well as seeking the active cooperation of its neighbours and the international community.
• New Delhi: An estimated 7.5 crore Indians are drug addicts and the number is going up significantly, spreading to semi-urban and backward areas, according to official figures.
• “Drug and alcohol abuse is becoming an area of concern as this is increasing while traditional moorings, social taboos, emphasis on self-restraint and pervasive control and discipline of the joint family and community are eroding”, senior officials of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said.
• As per the National Survey on Extent, Pattern and Trends of Drug abuse in India conducted by the Centre in collaboration with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the current prevalence rates within the age group of 12-18 years was Alcohol (21.4 per cent), Cannabis (three), Opiates (0.7) and any illicit drug (3.6 per cent).
• The survey indicated a high concentration of drug addiction in certain social segments and high-risk groups, such as, commercial sex workers, transportation workers and street children.
• Also the usage is higher in North Eastern states/border areas and opium growing regions of the country.
• Altogether, 40,697 males within the age-group of 12-60 years were interviewed and information on various aspects of drug abuse was obtained.
• The National Survey, the Ministry sources said, also indicates the prevalence of drug abuse among 371 women out of the sample size of 4,648 persons which is eight per cent.
• It is estimated that there are about 6.25 crore alcoholics, 90 lakh Cannabis and 2.5 lakhs opiates and nearly 10 lakh illicit drug users in the country.

Own life experience of one person

• I have been on a combination of more than 20 different types of antidepressants, anxiety medication, anti psychotics  and sleeping pills (not all at one time!), and was eventually able to go off everything but my antidepressants and an OCD drug. I have no memory left—if I don’t write things down, I immediately forget them. I am trying to go back to school to pursue a dream, but I can no longer get myself to function well enough to pass the GRE. I went from scoring at about the 80th percentile several years ago down to the 59th percentile. I’m trying to make changes, but I am so unmotivated that I am literally appalled at myself—and I know it’s the meds.

The Devam MBA(ITBM) SCIT 2013-2015