PESHAWAR: Even after aggressive actions by the law-enforcement agencies, the use of drugs, especially ice (meth), has increased to an alarming level among people including women and youth in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and rest of the country in the last few years.
Apart from police, the Excise and Narcotics Control and the Anti-Narcotics Force have taken actions and busted hundreds of gangs of drug dealers in recent months. However, the supply line to the public could not be cut off completely.
Sources informed that thousands of people including a large number of women as well as students of different educational institutions have become addicted to ice, heroin and hashish. They are easily getting these drugs within the cities.
Hashish, which is considered to be the gateway to other drugs, is being consumed by people in almost every street. Besides, hundreds of heroin addicts can be seen in different parts of the city, Hayatabad, rural areas and outskirts of Peshawar and other districts of KP, mostly begging for money to arrange for drugs as well as food after they were disowned by families.
The increasing use of ice, however, is alarming as it damages a person within few months. Many students and women are now also addicted to this synthetic drug.
A couple of years ago, a young girl in her early 20s was found dead in the fields in suburban Peshawar.
She was shot by unidentified criminals who later threw her body in a deserted place. While probing the incident, the police found the young girl was an ice (meth or methamphetamine) addict who was seen by many in the city streets while looking for the drug.
The investigators later arrested a close relative of the girl for allegedly killing her in a suspected ‘honour killing’ case.
Another woman was found consuming drugs in a park in the city a few days ago, after which police took her into custody for rehabilitation and constituted a committee to find how she was getting ice and other drugs in the city. There are many women who consume the drug regularly.
The use of ice among youth is believed to have reached an alarming level. It is mostly consumed in parties arranged in posh towns. There are many instances of deaths caused by its abuse.
The availability of the drug in Peshawar and rest of the districts is easy and that is why more are becoming addict to it.
Experts say ice keeps one high for up to 24 hours. One gram of ice costs between Rs1000 and Rs10,000, depending on the quality and other factors.
They believe that a dose of ice may trigger more than 1,200 units of dopamine which is 600 per cent more than what the body can do on its own. Continuous use of ice affects the body and shortens life by many years. It can be easily manufactured anywhere and can be consumed orally, through injections or inhaled.
A police official informed that actions against drug dealers are underway across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and over 11000 have been arrested while over 10000kg drugs were recovered during the current year. Those held included smugglers, manufacturers and sellers. The official said around 800 were held from Peshawar alone.
In recent years, police had launched an ‘Ice-Free Peshawar’ campaign and constituted special teams in all the divisions under the respective SPs to go after the smugglers and dealers. Similar campaigns were launched in Mardan and other districts. The measures helped improve the situation for quite some time.
Apart from carrying out operations and developing intelligence network for identification of ice manufacturers, sellers, and peddlers, the police carried out awareness campaign through the mainstream and social media to inform the people, especially youths, about the harms of ice and heroin.
Efforts were also made in liaison with universities’ administration to engage them in curbing the sale and distribution of such drugs amongst the youths while civil society, religious scholars, elected representatives, the district administration and elders in public circles were engaged in the awareness campaign.
