LAHORE: Police and other concerned departments have failed to overpower the drug users especially injection drug users who seemed to use drug freely in everywhere publically in the metropolis without any fear. Injection drug are seen in different area of the city especially parks, green belts of different main city roads, outside markets, near drains and LWMC dust bins on daily basis. The Walled City has become a hub of injection drug users where they are seen injecting different injections with a concoction of meds through syringes. It is worth mentioned here that one syringe is used by a group of four to five people even some time one drug syringe is used by more than ten persons who can provide HIV/AIDS and others diseases. Several people have lost their lives to drug injection which they bought easily at medical stores and concocted themselves of different drugs. Hundreds of unknown people including youth have been found dead in different areas of the city including, Ali Park Tibbi City, Data Darbar area, Lori Adda, Royal Park, Ravi Road, Choburgi Chowk, Lohari Gate, Bhatti Gate, Nasar Bag, Shah-re-Fatimah Jinnah, Railway Station, Nisbat Road, Laksmi Chowk, Lahore Hotel Chowk, Nicolson Road, McLeod Road, Qilla Gujjar Singh, Pathi Ground Nualkaha area and Band Road etc. The drug sellers who are involved in the selling of chars, heroin, opium, injections, tablets and other kind of drugs sell the drugs to users without fear of local police. Police is recovering unidentified bodies on a daily basis across the city and announced that the deceased seem like drug addicts and died of an overdose. Police also know that drug addicts easily purchase these dangerous drugs at medical stores and influential drug sellers but have not taken serious action against the responsible persons to save the lives of our youths and other citizen. Punjab Aids Control Program, Programme Director Dr Asim Altaf said that government Punjab are spending a lot of money to control HIV/AIDS and 9 treatment centers are providing treatment facilities to HIV/AIDS patients across the Punjab. He said that injection drugs are a major cause of HIV in not in only the metropolis but also in other cities of Punjab. Consultant, Anti-Drugs/Narcotics Campaign Syed Zulfiqar Hussain said the total population now has reached over 9 million in provincial metropolis. It is unfortunate that thousands of drug addicts are found using hard and soft drugs in public places like gardens, footpaths and parks in different areas of the city. Lahore was ranked (2) second to Karachi where drug addiction is very high. He added that we are planning to start new programmes/campaign against injection drugs users (IDU) with the help of Punjab AIDS Control Programme to create awareness and counseling session with ID Users. Locals of the different areas have strongly condemned the illegal business of drug pushing saying that the menace of drugs have been ruining the lives of their children. The drug sellers are so influential and even police take no action against them allegedly after taking bribes. In this regard, while clarifying his department’s position, spokesman of DIG Operations said that during the action against drug dealers in the month of December 2017, 485 culprits were arrested and 19kg heroine, 250kg chars, 16kg opium and 8,446 bottles of liquor recovered from them. While talking to Daily Times separately, DIG Operations Dr Hiader Ashraf said that the strict action against drug dealers as well as drug users is going on across the city. He added that drug pushers are a scourge on our society who are spoiling new generations by spreading different kinds of drugs across the city. He said that police with the collaboration of other concern departments continued crackdown against criminals and the city would be drug free soon. Published in Daily Times, February 1st 2018.