The Role of Youth in Eradicating the Ramping-Up of Drugs Addiction in Balochistan

Hafeezullah Kakar
Balochistan has become a veritable snack-pit of drugs cartels which has allowed the availability of drugs with much ease increasing the number of drugs addicts over time. The prevailing situation of ramping-up in drugs addiction in the province has worsen the very fabric of the society. Drugs is putting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people at risk. Not only the drugs addicts are affected, but their families and societies are also environed with it. According to a report from the United Nations, there are 230,000 drugs users in Balochistan which is surprisingly high in accordance with its small population. A drug is any substance which, when taken into the body, alters the body’s function either physically or psychologically. The occurring of changes in the body means that the individual is likely to behave abnormally. The affected-individual behaves rudely, speaks vulgarly and may harm others. It is not only limited to a single individual (the drugs-addict), but it influences all those who are in touch with him/her. Getting to the bottom of the issue, I have discovered that drugs addiction stems from several reasons like environment, peer-pressure, traumaand mental-illness.In an environment, a bad company can make a person indulge into taking drugs. Friends and colleagues who are taking drugs influence others who surround them. It often starts with a small intake of drugs maybe for fun or for testing it, but they become immersed into its effects and thus become addicted to drugs.Mental illness and drugs addiction often go hand in hand. According to National Alliance on Mental Illness, more than one half of the drugs users are also dealing with mental illness. Some mental-ill drug abusers justify it as it relieves their pain and stress associated with mental illness.A person with peer pressure reacts to various things. Such people being provoked by the nature makes abrupt decisions, recklessly, without thinking of its consequences in the long term.Traumatic events mark a scar on the minds of people, and victims choose to pacify their pain with a drug of their choice. Its causes are often a neglect, a verbal abuse, an accident, a sexual abuse, physical altercationsand etc.Studies have shown that  those people whose parents or other family members take drugs often lack proper immunizations, medical careand other necessities such as food and shelter. Drugs like Methamphetamine abusers often produce the drug inside their homes and apartments using hazardous chemicals such as hydriodic acid and anhydrous ammonia. Children who inhabit in such homes are exposed to inhaling these hazardous chemicals and gases which damage their health. Drugs abusers in Balochistan creates a turmoil in the society. Many of criminals that are involved in street crimes are drug abusers. Springing from small scales, these crimes complicatein the shape of terrorism, kidnapping for ransom, murders and etc. Those people who take drugs are neither employed in private firms nor in government institutions. Their inability to work in offices and work fields make them deprived of getting any opportunity to earn, not to talking about the need of their support to their families. Hence, they start begging. The capital city of Balochistan, Quetta, is an exact epitome of it. Their families are also poverty-torn. Those societies which have a largenumber of drugs abusers are prone to high inflation and poverty because their manpower is wasted, and theirdomestic market productivity suffers, paving a way for foreign imports with high prices. Furthermore, they can be easily manipulated for terrorism, target killings and suicide attacks.Owing to the bad company of the drugs addicts, people tend to avoid them, and they are, generally, not welcomed in public gatherings. Even the families of the drugs addicts remain at risk of being affected. Those, drug abusers, who are taken into police custody are somewhat onus on the police department. The resources spent in keeping them in jails is a burden on the budget of this impoverished province. In the long run, drugs addicts are increasing by a large proportion in our society which is a manifest that the drugs demand is increasing. The root cause of drugs addiction is its demand, and severe measures are necessary to nip it in the bud. If the demand is reduced then its reduction is likely to follow. Drugs addiction is tantamount to a pandemic which has grown over time but not being addressed. It has thrived fervently in Balochistan, but, unfortunately, the concerned authorities have not tackled it as a grave issue. Moreover, the resources available, in fighting against drugs, are meagre intertwined with mismanagement and corruption. Heretofore, the issue has been further aggravated in size and scope. In the bottom line, he best possible measure to eradicate drugs addiction in Balochistan is preventive education by our youth. Preventive education is referred to as social awareness against drugs addiction through social campaigns, social media pages and study circles. The lack of social awareness campaigns against drugs addiction in Balochistan can be seen explicitly. The government has paid no heed to the issue.Moreover, less attention is given to itby our youth and social media to sort out this malicious issue.Signifying the steps that are indispensable for drugs demand reduction at the grass-roots levels entail sincere efforts. Hence, there is an urgent need to begin social media campaigns, organizing seminars, conducting study circles, and distributing pamphlets against drugs addiction. It is a humble request to the government and the civil society to provide its assistance in rooting out drugs culture from Balochistan.More and more youth volunteers are hoped to come to provide their ministrations to make this society a better place.