Drug Addicction in Pakistan
By saria sajjad
Pakistan is today notorious for many things, but in the last 20 years, drug production and addiction has increasingly become just one of them. The issue of drug production is often overshadowed by the many of the country’s other human development problems, such as poverty, illiteracy and lack of basic health care. But the fact is, drug abuse is rapidly growing in Pakistan and in South Asia in general. While Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Maldives all suffer from this, Pakistan is the worth victim of the drug trade in South Asia. Today, the country has the largest heroin consumer market in the South-West Asia region.
It was not always this way. Pakistan became a major explore of heroin in the 1980s, following the influx of Afghan refugees escaping the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The major consequences of this have been a significant increase in domestic consumption of heroin in Pakistan. Heroin was once upon a time a drug which was virtually unknown in the country until the late 1970s. 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. Almost 80 percent of the opium processed in Pakistan comes from neighboring countries.
Drug situation is witnessing changing trends, as in fashion. Chars, opium and heroin used to be the primary choice of drugs. But now a synthetic drug such as Ecstasy and finding their place in parties which are held in posh localities; almost the educated, the upper middle and the rich class and this development concern us greatly. Drug production for Pakistan’s domestic market is estimated at close to $1.5 billion.
Drug addiction is a condition characterized by compulsive drug intake, dependency, and causes harmful effects.