The abuse of drug has become an international problem. Almost every country nowadays is facing the menace of drug abuse. Whether it is America, the most powerful country or it is India, one of the developing countries, the problem bothers both alike.
The evil is increasing by leaps and bounds in the places like hostels and campuses of the universities and technical and professional institutions where a big number of students are freely using charas, ganja, heroin, smack or brown sugar etc.
No doubt drugs have been used by mankind from the very beginning but for medical purposes. Nowadays they are being abused by our young generation. Sometimes our young boys and girls take drugs and narcotics to alleviate pain but most of the time to get a thrill at the persuation of their friends. By and by they become addicted to this bad habit. In India their number has been increasing at an alarming rate.
Several reasons are responsible for this great evil. It has been seen that growing boys and girls, due to lack of enough parental love and care, go astray. In the modern set up of families both husband and wife are in service and consequently are unable to share some time with their sons and daughters. As a result the young mind feels frustrated and lonely.
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At this delicate juncture their so called friends, who are themselves drug-addicts, easily mislead them and induce them to find solace by taking drugs and narcotics. Once tasted, it becomes a habit very soon.
It has been found that the drug-addicts can not do without the drug even for a short while. They become immoral and commit crimes of various types in order to get drugs. They must get their dose of it at the fixed time and if they do not get it, they feel weak and become incapable of the least movement.
They lose their conscience, self-control, will power and memory, in absence of which they become anti-social elements, doing anti-social activities. Sometimes the evil results in suicide and the ruin of the whole family. If not suicide, the drugs and narcotics have fatal effects which invite untimely death. More than 80 percent of heroin-addicts in India are in the age group of 12-25 years. This is really alarming.
Hence, this evil must be eradicated at any cost. Public opinion must be created against it and the different media of mass communication must be pressed into sendee to combat the evil.
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The young boys and girls must be made aware, of the fact that they will be crippled by the rampant use of drugs. Not only must this, a concentrated drive against smugglers, who smuggle various drugs and narcotics into the country be made by all means. These smugglers are the real enemies and they must be given strict punishment.
De-addiction centres should be established by the government to provide medical treatment for the addicts. We must not forget that the drug addicts need our sympathy. Their case must be handled delicately because this is the only way to win their heart and put them on the right track.
It is a good sign that our government is very strict on this point. Programmes aimed at the eradication of this evil Eire televised frequently. De-addiction centres for the treatment of these helpless people have already been established in some major cities. Huge quantity of various intoxicants are aiso being seized practically everyday. This will surely discourage the problem of drug abuse.