Kashmir witnesses shocking rise in heroin abuse

There has been a steep rise in the number of heroin addicts admitted to the de-addiction centre at the SMHS Hospital since January this year.

Official records at the centre, which is run by theDepartment of Psychiatry at SMHS Hospital, reveal that out of 342 peopleadmitted for substance abuse from 1 January 2019 to 20 June 2019, at least 309(90.3 per cent) were abusing heroin in “some or the other form”.

   

The main route of abuse was nasal (sniffing or fumes).However, 28 per cent of the abusers had already moved on to intra-venous (IV)abuse of heroin, data showed.

The records further reveal that there was a rise in thenumber of people abusing the drug intravenously, making it all the more”lethal”.

In January, 20 of the 70 patients admitted for heroinaddiction were abusing the drug through injections.

In June (upto 20th) out of 38 patients admitted, 20 wereabusing the drug intravenously. 

Over the years, records reveal, there has been a gradualrise in the number of people abusing heroin.

In 2016, 15 per cent of total people admitted at the centrewere heroin addicts. In 2017, the percentage went up to 24.3 percent, whichnearly doubled in 2018 to 45.6 per cent.

DrYasir A Rather of Department of Psychiatry and in-chargeof DAC is shocked at the growing heroin abuse. “It is baffling… Almost every patient we see here at de-addiction centerhad been on heroin,” he said. He asserted there was a clear growing trend thatwas evident through data as well his experience.

“Before 2016, there was hardly any heroin user in Kashmir.We usually saw patients abusing cannabis, alcohol and medicinal opioids,” hesaid. “Not anymore.”

Dr Rather termed heroin abuse as the last nail in the coffinof a young generation. “These kids are doomed. Heroine is ruining them,”he said and added that a number of patients had reported at the centre fortreatment after seeing their friends and acquaintances dying of drug overdose.”With heroin the chances of an overdose and subsequent death is quite common,”he added.

DrArshidHussain, professor at the Department of Psychiatryat Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, said heroin addiction is “aterminal disease”.

“There is a huge chance of relapse even after treatment andeasy accessibility of the drug makes relapse even more likely,” he said.  He said that 50-60 percent people treated forheroin addiction have a relapse and start using the drug again, thus making thedrug “one of the most dangerous ones”.

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