PATTERN OF DRUG ADDICTION CHANGING RAPIDLY

LAHORE (APP) -- Pattern of drug addiction has undergone unusual change
during recent years in the society, with youngsters switching over to
self-injectable drugs that sends them early to grave. This situation calls
for immediate attention of the health authorities to ensure strict and
tightest-control on-the-counter sale of anti-depressant, tranquillizer and
to curb self-medication to check alarming increase in number of drug
addicts which could surpass the previous figure of 4 million if the menace
was allowed to continue unchecked in the country.

"Conspicuously, elite of our society including high-profile people,
particularly youngsters are becoming easy prey to new pattern of drug
addiction", Dr. Mrs. Tanveer, a clinical psychologist treating drug addicts
at the Mayo Hospital told APP.

Referring to the history of addiction in this part of the world,she
maintained that poppy, of which opium was used to be derived and alcohol
were used in this region since centuries.

"Morphine, which is the synthetic form of Heroin, opium and Heroin powder,
is freely available at pharmacies without doctors prescription, while opium
was used in a restricted manner mostly by elders and the infants in old
days", she observed.

Principal, King Edward Medical College, Prof.

Mumtaz Hassan said opium and morphine is still used in a restricted and
limited quantity in number of medicines specially in cough syrup for
soothing the patients.

However, he said free access to tranquillizer and anti-depressant has
played havoc in doubling rather multiplying the number of new drug addicts
in our society.

Psychiatry Department where drug addicts are admitted, was earlier occupied
by the users of "heroin powder" but now situation has completely changed.

Majority of the drug addicts admitted there or approach the Out Patient
Department (OPD) either use Benzodine or syrup popularly known as ZEB cough
syrup and other harmful syrup which are freely available in the market
without any prescription, Dr. Tanveer observed.

A survey of Mental Hospital and Psychiatric wards of different wards reveal
amazing variety of drug users while "chronic" addicts still cling to the
same "heroin powder", introduced in Pakistan in the aftermath of Soviet
Union occupation of Afghanistan in 1979.

"As a result of massive campaign against contraband narcotics in the
society, the number of heroin powder users has decreased considerably, by
almost fifty to eighty percent", a senior doctor treating drug addicts at
the Mayo Hospital told APP on condition of anonymity.

"It was a good development but unfortunately inclination of young
generation towards self-medication and use of tranquillizer, has watered
down our hopes of eliminating addition," he lamented.

Explaining the reasons of use of tranquillizer and other drugs by the
youngsters, he attributed this to complete ban and strict checking of
Pakistani authorities on the smuggling of narcotics into Pakistan from
Afghanistan.

Similarly, he said supply of opium which is also derived from poppy also
reduced drastically because poppy was no more cultivated in Afghanistan.

The tightest-ever control on narcotics and strictest checking on drug
smuggling, eventually forced youngsters to become easy prey to yet another
addiction known as "self-injectable" abuse.

Hundreds of drug addicts lying motionless around historic Badshahi Mosque
and Ali Park, a few furlongs away from the mosque, can be seen injecting
themselves with a new drug known as "Dorgesic" tablets.

Their modus operandi for self destruction is a horrific one.

They mix two or three tablets in a jug of water and keep themselves
injecting throughout the day.

Quite often they die due to overdosing, said a psychiatrist.

The same situation prevails around Circular road where two or three
unclaimed bodies are recovered every day, specially during winters.

Additional Medical Superintendent Mayo Hospital (Emergency) said unclaimed
bodies create lot of problems for them both administratively and legally.

"A permanent solution should be evolved to tackle the situation", the AMS
remarked.

Not only males but an increasing number of females including housewives and
students are also steadily falling prey to this menace.

"Cases of females representing elite class of our society are reported to
private clinics where they are treated in a very confidential manner so
that their future marital life is not affected", Dr. Khalida Tareen,
visiting Professor of Psychiatry observed at a seminar here recently.

Apart from big cities, the new trend of drug addiction has equally affected
the country side where four cases of similar nature involving women were
reported in just one month in Gujranwala.

Health experts are not satisfied with the policies of the government,
specially about checking of counter sale of anti-depressant and
tranquillizer as all and sundry have access to the same.

Health experts are of the view that while prescribing sedative or
anti-depressant medicines to their patients, doctors must also advise the
period of withdrawal from the tranquillizer, failing which patient becomes
completely dependant on drugs.

Doctors have pointed out that there is no concept of follow up in our
society while quacks are also playing havoc with the patients.

They pointed out that certain "Homeopath" doctors are also prescribing
allopathic medicines that mostly comprise sedative elements which attract
poor patients as general public can hardly afford consulting medical
specialists.