HSS
Writing article on a social issue
Name: Rohil Kadam
Roll No. 21267
Drug abuse is the illicit, non-medical use of limited number of substances, most of
drugs which have the properties of altering the mental state of a being in ways that
are considered inappropriate, undesirable, harmful, threatening to the life of the
user and to the society at large. Alcohol, heroin, cocaine, opium, marijuana, are some
of the drugs abused.
Generally, the youth seem to be the target of this drug menace and its abuse.
Curiosity, peer pressure, and availability of drugs such as cigarettes and alcohol are
the immediate causes of drug abuse amongst the youth. In the company of bad
associates, friends are pressured to indulge in the use of drugs especially, in the
senior high schools. This availability of drugs to the youth and the society proves a
cause and a cancer to society. The youth of today are very inquisitive and curious.
They would like to test the efficacy of whatever they see and hear of. This curiosity at
times becomes fatal even to the point of death. Some by their curiosity go into deal
with drugs and become addicts.
The drugs that are beneficial to humanity may also be the same drugs that are
detrimental to mankind. It is of no argument that drugs are created to cure diseases
and to alleviate human condition; however, people may misuse over-the-counter
drugs and this is called drug abuse. It has become a social problem because it has
afflicted the family, the economy and the community. Drug and alcohol abuse in our
nation’s teenagers has become a major public health issue.
About 190 million people all over the world consume one drug or the other. Drug
addiction causes immense human distress and the illegal production and distribution
of drugs have spawned crime and violence worldwide. Today, there is no part of the
world that is free from the curse of drug trafficking and drug addiction. Millions of
drug addicts, all over the world, are leading miserable lives, between life and death.2
India too is caught in this vicious circle of drug abuse, and the numbers of drug
addicts are increasing day by day. According to a UN report, One million heroin
addicts are registered in India, and unofficially there are as many as five million.
What started off as casual use among a minuscule population of high-income group
youth in the metro has permeated to all sections of society. Inhalation of heroin
alone has given way to intravenous drug use, that too in combination with other
sedatives and painkillers. This has increased the intensity of the effect, hastened the
process of addiction and complicated the process of recovery. Cannabis, heroin, and
Indian-produced pharmaceutical drugs are the most frequently abused drugs in
India.
Cannabis products (ganja) are abused throughout the country because it has
attained some amount of religious sanctity because of its association with some
deities. Drug abuse has led to increase in the crime rate. Addicts resort to crime to
pay for their drugs. Drugs remove inhibition and impair judgment, egging one on to
commit offences. Incidence of eve-teasing, group clashes, assault and impulsive
murders increase with drug abuse. Apart from affecting financial stability, addiction
increases conflicts and causes untold emotional pain for every member of the family.
Remedies/Solutions to Drug Abuse:
1.Parents should monitor the kind of friends of children and guide against bad
company.
2. Rehabilitation of the affected persons.
3. Teaching the bad effects of drug abuse in schools.
4. Continuous campaign against the use of hard drugs at the federal, state and local
levels.
Several measures involving innovative changes in enforcement, legal and judicial
systems have been brought into effect.
The abuse of alcohol and drugs has resulted in significant morbidity and mortality
among adolescents worldwide. Many of these youth will lose their lives to drugs and
alcohol and significant numbers are likely to grow up to become problem drug users.
Thus, we as college students must stay safe from friends that consume drugs and
spread awareness about this topic.
