A Grim Reality: Deaths Due to Drug Overdose in Punjab

Introduction: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has vowed to make the state drug-free by the next Independence Day, but the reality on the ground is far from promising. Despite the efforts of the state government's anti-drug special task force (STF), the state has not been able to achieve significant results in curbing substance abuse and drug overdose deaths. Drug overdose deaths in Punjab have skyrocketed since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came to power in March 2022.

The AAP government has pledged to address the issue of drug addiction in Punjab. They have announced plans to increase the number of treatment centres in the state and make treatment more affordable. However, it remains to be seen whether these measures will be sufficient to curb the rising number of drug overdose deaths in the state.

Data of Punjab police:

The recent examination of Punjab Police records show a significant rise in the number of drug overdose deaths since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took control of the state in March 2022.

In the first six months of 2023, there were 1,234 deaths due to drug overdose, 40.5% increase from the same period in 2022.

The alarming trend began shortly after the AAP took office, with a 38% increase in drug overdose deaths in the first three months of their rule compared to the same period in 2022.

These figures paint a grim picture of the state's drug problem and raise serious concerns about the AAP's ability to address it.

The alarming rise in drug overdose deaths in Punjab is attributed to a confluence of factors, including the unfettered availability of drugs, the

    

 dearth of accessible treatment options, and the societal stigma surrounding drug use.

The media has highlighted various reports that 60% to 70% of Punjab’s population (roughly 3 crore) is addicted to drugs.

Narcotics Control Bureau:

The Narcotics Control Bureau raided and sealed 66 wine shops in Ludhiana for illegally selling drugs on 20th January and laten on they were reopened .

After the release of data by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), the state is sixth in the country overall in the category of possessing drugs for consumption.

It registered 4,206 cases (out of a total 9,972) but the rate of consumption per lakh is 13.8 meaning about 14 persons out of the given one lakh persons would be drug consumers.

The state tops in the category of possessing drugs for trafficking. The NCRB report says 5,766 cases (out of a total 9,972) were registered against persons for possessing drugs for smuggling.

The rate of 19 persons per lakh indulging in drug smuggling is the country’s highest. Himachal Pradesh is a distant second with 14.7 persons per lakh involved in drug smuggling.

Punjab yet again topped the list of crime rate (per lakh population) in cases lodged last year under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Dr. Rajeshwar Singh, a psychiatrist who works with drug users in Amritsar, highlighted the easy availability of drugs as a major contributor

 

 to Punjab's drug problem. He emphasised that the abundance of drug sellers makes it effortless for individuals to obtain them.

Dr. Singh further emphasised the lack of accessible treatment options as a significant obstacle. He stated that the scarcity of treatment centres in Punjab, coupled with the high cost of those that do exist, hinders individuals from seeking help.

The affidavit filed by the director bureau of investigation, LK Yadav, reveals that the number of deaths has increased each year. As many as 36 deaths were reported in 2020-2021, 71 in 2021-2022 and 159 in 2022-2023 up to March 31.

    YEAR

DEATH

2020-2021

36

2021-2022

71

2023- Till Now

159

    The National Household Survey of Drug Use in the country is the first systematic effort to document the nationwide prevalence of drug use where the bane of drug abuse in Punjab has acquired the proportions of a pestilence that has shaken the entire society in the state.

It is observed that in Punjab “drug abuse” is a raging epidemic, especially among the young. According to a survey, 66% of the school going students in the state consume “gutka” or tobacco; every third male and every tenth female student have taken to drugs on one pretext or another and seven out of ten college-going students are into drug abuse.

 A study was undertaken in 15 villages of Jalandhar district by the Department of Community Medicine Punjab, Institute of Medical Sciences Medical College and Hospital, Jalandhar.

It is found that the problem of drug abuse in the youth of Punjab is a matter of serious concern as every third individual is hooked to drugs other than alcohol and tobacco.

The other striking observations were the high prevalence of heroin and IV drug abuse which led to the increase in death rate of Punjab .