Addicted

Drug addiction in Pakistan is worrisome. The country is facing the worst crisis of drug addiction as more than 8.9 million people are drug addicts, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The majority of addicts are young boys and girls. Drugs like heroin are now cheaper than a food item in the country. This serious problem of drug addiction shouldn’t be ignored.

The government is required to take a firm stand on preventing drug addiction through a mix of reforms. It should involve communities and the media in highlighting the threats associated with drug addiction and building a consensus among them to forge a united stand against such scourges. If we want to create a country that is on its way to progress, then we need to eliminate this problem.

Arslan Ali

Islamabad

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According to various news reports, a large number of students of private schools in Islamabad are addicted to drugs. Despite very strict anti-drug abuse laws, the number of people using drugs has not only increased but drugs have also found its way into schools, colleges and universities posing a major threat to the health of teenagers including girls . At times the very people who are responsible to stop this illegal activity are accomplices of the drug mafia. It is therefore no surprise that schoolchildren – especially those from affluent families and studying in the so-called elite private schools – have been trapped into drug addiction. Besides easy ingress of drugs in the country from Afghanistan, one major contributory factor for drug addiction is the use of tobacco in different forms. From a simple puff of a cigarette they go onto other more dangerous forms of drugs like, cannibals, heroin etc. There is thus a strong need for curbing this practice through strict enforcement of the Anti-Smoking Ordinance 2002.

Parents should be very watchful of their child’s activities; any unusual behavior should be probed immediately. Teachers and members of school administration should report any unusual behavior by a student to the concerned authority. To ascertain misuse of drugs, schools/colleges should carry out dope tests of students on regular basis. The ANF should expand their sphere of activities to education institutions. Surprise checks should be carried out by their mobile teams to check and create a fear in minds of those insiders who may be involved in sale of drugs in such institutions. The law-enforcing agencies must ensure that anti-drug and tobacco laws are strictly enforced, no leniency be shown to those found guilty.

Group Captain (r) Saeed Nawaz Khan

Rawalpindi