THE HIGH SOCIETY

The money and power does not give the thrills anymore and there is a need
for uninterrupted elation and rapture. The rich socialite has found its
answers in the free flowing drugs in their hip and happening parties

Gone are the days of opium, heroine, ganja and Alprax. The hottest craze
nowadays is cocaine, ecstacy, acid and hashish (marijuana). The business
has spiralled to over Rs. 1,000 crore a year where all the substances dealt
in are banned and obviously no taxes paid. The clientele is a small close
knit high profile ultra rich family of south Delhi that includes many
designers, kids from affluent families, models, businessman bored with
their monotonous lifestyle and lonely housewives.

The pushers never had it so good with their clients willing to pay five
times the market price for a single dose. With this, the shabby, suspicious
looking pusher is out and in comes a net savvy executive with designer
suits, Queen's English, gelled hair and Gucci shoes. He is zipping around
the capital in fast car with a laptop and delivers anything that is
forbidden at your doorstep in no time.

Most of these drugs flow freely in the wild parties of the elite. Cocaine
is fast becoming an indispensable item at such get-togethers. There are
various forms of drugs available like anti-depressant pills that to
stimulants like amphetamine which increases the energy level of the user.
Many of these pills are smuggled across the border from Myanmar, a big
manufacturing base for such drugs.

Trends keep changing. Last year it was Alprax (alprazolam), a mood enhancer
popular in Delhi. The post-mortem of party hopper Natasha Singh, who jumped
to death from the roof of a five-star hotel revealed that she had consumed
thirty Alprax tablets.

A young model from South Delhi revels that some parties of the rich and
famous provide a non-stop supply of choice drugs and this is considered a
status symbol for the host. The latest are the weekend parties where drugs
are freely available and there could be at least 40-50 of such parties
simultaneously happening in South Delhi at various places. Mostly, male and
female models are the ones who are invited so that the host can flaunt them
and others can drool over their gorgeous bodies.

Price tags shoot high and it is only the elite that can afford these drugs.
A gram of cocaine costs anything between Rs. 3,000 - Rs. 5,000; Ecstacy the
latest craze and considered a love drug costs Rs. 850 per tablet, acid has
gone up to Rs. 2000 per gram while heroine has been left behind for the poor.

Another hi-flyer at such parties revealed that in some parties cocaine
laced cakes, pastries and sweets are served. As for women they just have to
ask for a `line' to get that snort or shot. Like many, models indulge into
drugs to get a momentary high and also to get rid of depression. Last year
Delhi police arrested an Afghan drug peddler `Ali' who was supplying drugs
to top shot fashion designers, models and rich industrialists. He was
caught while supplying cocaine to Neeraj Wadhera, part owner of the Hans
Plaza Hotel in Connaught Place.

Sanjay Chug, MD, Psychiatrist, says, "It is mainly the ease with money,
boredom and the desire for temporary excitement that leads the elite into
getting hooked to drugs. It is also the need to feel as a part of the crowd
that makes many turn to the forbidden taste. A prominent victim is also the
celebrity kid from unstable families with ease of money that gets drawn
towards drugs."

D.L. Kashyap, DCP, Narcotics & Crime prevention cell, says, "Definitely the
trend is changing as these drugs have found their way inside posh drawing
rooms and are floating in hi society parties. Early this year, we arrested
Ranjan Kumar Chaddha and a Nigerian national who were supplying drugs to
the people from the upper salary bracket of Delhi.

With their revelations, our department interrogated many of the bigwigs of
the capital addicted to drugs and most of them seem like diseased patients
who need some care." He added, " Our department is trying to plug the holes
through which drugs are coming inside the capital. Our aim is to catch the
suppliers and not the addicts. And we want support of the people to try and
curb this deadly problem."

Taking drugs is not only about getting a high... it's also about a lot of
lows that come with it

Cocaine: Use of cocaine leads to a state of increasing irritability,
restlessness, and paranoia. This may result in a full-blown paranoid
psychosis, in which the individual experiences auditory hallucinations. The
short-term physiological effects of cocaine include constricted blood
vessels, dilated pupils, and increased temperature, heart rate and blood
pressure. In some cases, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine
or unexpectedly thereafter.

LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide)

Effects of LSD depend on the amount taken, the user's personality, mood,
expectations, and the surroundings in which the drug is used. Usually, the
user feels the first effects of the drug 30 to 90 minutes after taking it.
The physical effects include dilated pupils, higher body temperature,
increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite,
sleeplessness, dry mouth and tremors. If taken in a large enough dose, the
drug produces delusions and visual hallucinations.

MDMA (Ecstacy)

MDMA causes an amphetamine-like hyperactivity in people. It increases heart
rate, blood pressure and can disable the body's ability to regulate its own
temperature. Because of its stimulant properties, when it is used in club
or dance settings, it can enable users to dance vigorously for extended
periods, but can also lead to severe rises in body temperature, what is
referred to as hyperthermia, as well as dehydration, hypertension. Usage
can lead to heart or kidney fa ilure.

Methamphetamine

A single high dose of the drug has been shown to damage nerve terminals in
the dopamine-containing regions of the brain. The large release of dopamine
produced by methamphetamine is thought to contribute to the drug's toxic
effects on nerve terminals in the brain. High doses can elevate body
temperature to dangerous, sometimes lethal levels, as well as cause
convulsions.

Heroine: Heroin abuse is associated with serious health conditions,
including fatal overdose, spontaneous abortion and collapsed veins. In
addition to the effects of the drug itself, street heroine may have
additives that do not readily dissolve and result in clogging the blood
vessels leading to vital organs; lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain.

Marijuana

Effects of marijuana can include problems with memory and learning;
distorted perception; difficulty in thinking and problem solving; loss of
coordination; and increased heart rate.