Daily Times

KARACHI: The increasing trend of drug use among youngsters is creating profound mental and physical health issues among youngsters; as a shortage of funds, manpower and resources impede progress of the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), responsible to curb the menace, said ANF Force Commander Brigadier Noor Ul Hassan.

Brigadier Noor Ul Hassan told Daily Times the ANF’s responsibilities included: work against drug dealers; promote anti-drug activities among the youth in educational institutes; trace drug trafficking networks; and limit smuggling, trafficking and distribution of narcotics in the country. Owing to shortage of funds, manpower and resources are a major obstruction to the fight against narcotics, Hassan said, adding, “Youngsters are unaware of the effects of drug addiction”.

ANF’s responsibilities, he added, also included tracing and freezing assets of drug smugglers, drug demand reduction and treatment of addicts. “Last year, 350 metric tonnes of drugs worth $4.16 billion were destroyed. The total quantity of narcotics seized from 1995 till now is 1851 metric tonnes and total chemicals 393 metric tonnes”, he said.

Apart from constant crackdowns on drug suppliers to educational institutes, the ANF organizes anti-drug walks, campaigns, lectures in different educational institutes, pet shows, youth conventions, hiking, drug burning ceremonies, youth ambassadors’ recreational trips, youth galas, awareness stalls, sports activities, workshops and anti-drug dramas, Hassan said. “Recently we arranged a seminar in Karachi University on ‘Drug abuse: A growing problem for youth and measures’ and we had very good response”, he added.

He briefed that Model Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre (MATRIC) was being run by ANF in Lyari Town, Karachi. He advised students to remain away from drugs and excel in studies, terming them the future of Pakistan.

Intoxication and taking alcohol was worse than terrorism, if the death toll from both was considered, he said, adding, “Drug use claims lives of around 685 people worldwide everyday and every third is female, whereas, the death toll caused by terrorism is estimated to be 39”, Hassan said.

According to him, the most in demand drugs were charas/hashish, synthetic drugs, cocaine and heroin. The people affected by drug use in Pakistan’s provinces were: 11 percent of the population in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 6.5 percent in Sindh, 5.10 percent in Balochistan and least 4.8 percent in Punjab, he said.

ANF had 29 police stations and 3500 workers all over Pakistan and the ANF, up until now, had seized 1851 metric tonnes drugs, he said.

“A drug addict is not only playing with his own life but the whole family suffers because of that”, he said, adding, In educational institutes, ice drug “crystal” was being used enormously and it was also used in elite class parties, an educationist shared his views.

“I never expected to become a drug addict; I disliked drugs since my childhood but I’m a drug addict now as a result of bad company. I will go for treatment if it will not be disclosed to anyone”, a drug addict studying at a private university said.

Dr Uzma Yameen, working at a rehabilitation centre, said the cases of women taking drugs were rarely reported due to ‘ethical issues’ or to avoid social stigma. Similarly, boys may also face similar stigma, with parents telling neighbours their son was staying at a relative’s house when he as actually in rehabilitation.

She said many girls also use drugs in the hope of losing weight. However, she said that those girls, among other drug users, were focusing on short-term goals rather than looking at the complete picture.