BONDAGE OF ADDICTION

A lot has still to be achieved in order to make society more free
from the dangers of drugs and observance of June 26 as International
Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking should be a time to
review how successful have various pledges and efforts been in
reducing uses by all and sundry.

The day has been observed to spread awareness so as to alert the
individual, family and by extension, the community about the terrible
consequences of drug abuse. There are too many families who have lost
a loved one or two because of drug addiction.

There are also many families who live in terrible ordeal caused by
those who are controlled by drugs.

So many young people have passed away and many are perishing.

Most certainly, many will continue to come under control of drugs to
cause pain, shame and grief to their families. Awareness on drug
abuse has been on since the late 60s with the explosion of rock and
roll and acid rock which spawn a culture of drugs and rebellious
lifestyles for the young generation during those period. Marijuana,
LSD, pot or brown sugar or whatever name; they were the 'in' of the
60s and 70s.The rock and roll era popularized drugs with expressions
of depressions amplified by the hallucinating tunes and music of rock
superstars of those years such as Jim Morrison to Jimmy Hendrix to
Led Zeppelin etc. Unfortunately, drugs, no matter under what plea or
pleasure they symbolize always result in tragedy and not only to the
individual but all those around.

There may be several factors which promote drug abuse but two which
stand out may be identified as-easily availability and ineffective
laws dealing with drug offences.

The cycle from drug addiction to peddling or trafficking becomes
enlarged with every passing week, ensnaring more victims within its
fold. Reports from various accounts widely reported in the media
suggest that even pharmaceutical drugs sold under names such as
spasmo, relipen, nitro diazepam and other drugs that cause
hallucinations, are in huge demand among youth, some of who are
barely in their teens. People must accept that their society and
enforcement agencies cannot stymie the inflow of drugs for the simple
reason that it is not a simple trade depending on the mood or ware.
It had long been considered that addiction, defined as compulsive and
pathological drug consumption, is behaviour specific to the human
species and its social structure.

Research indicate that the voluntary consumption of drugs is a
behaviour found in many species of animals.

Be it the simple explanation of supply-demand economics that makes
sale of banned drugs a formidable illegal trade; another factor that
needs to be made known is promotion through inducements. Whether the
psychological aspects of a traumatized segment considered vulnerable
or other factors acting as catalysts for drug addiction are factors,
need to be analysed. Estimates of number of drug addicts vary and
anyone's speculative guess may be as good as the other's but the
number is growing and that is a terrible fact.