Hell on earth
A large number of youths in Jammu and Kashmir are falling prey to the deadly menace of drugs to escape the reality of the ongoing militancy in the Valley,
writes Dilnaz Boga

Nadeem (name changed) folds his hands in gratitude while sitting on his bed at one of Kashmir’s few de-addiction centres, thanking the doctors for saving his life. Nadeem (24), whose family owns poppy fields in south Kashmir, fell prey to their produce. It was after a lot of persuasion by his family and a long treatment period that he is on his way to recovery finally.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir, which was once called paradise on earth, has seen the drug problem spiralling amongst its populace in recent times. The problem has been attributed to the two-decade conflict in the state, the highest militarised region in the world. Kashmir has also earned the dubious distinction of topping the world charts in using opiate-related drugs.

As the state administration chooses to turn a blind eye, Senior Superintendent of the Police (SSP), Srinagar, Sheikh Mehmood, cites reasons for the epidemic: "People have emotional problems because of the on-going conflict, and so they turn to intoxication as an escape. The menace of drugs is increasing day-by-day."

The drug de-addiction centre at the police control room in Batmaloo, Srinagar. This is perhaps the first time in India that such a centre has been set up by the police Photos by the writer

In reply to the police’s failure to keep a check on the local poppy and cannabis producers, Mehmood says, "We know that poppy is cultivated in extremely remote areas of Kashmir like Pulwama, Traal and Avantipura. Militants usually take shelter in these remote areas, making it hard for us to control the cultivation. It takes days for us to walk to those inaccessible mountainous areas. It is hard for us to keep track of the cultivation."

To tackle this escalating addiction in the Valley, last year in February a five-bed de-addiction centre was set up in Srinagar by the police on the premises of the police control room in Batmaloo.

Dr Muzafar Khan, who runs the Batmaloo de-addiction programme, says, "This is the first time in India when the police, after realising the gravity of the problem, has set up a de-addiction centre. Our boys have turned to drugs so as to accept the harsh reality of living in this conflict zone. This is a coping strategy on their part, and not for thrills, as is the case with most addicts. We have been treating patients from all socio-economic classes. The patients are usually between 18 and 35 years of age. Since its inception, our centre has treated 252 patients; whereas 1,500 persons have visited the centre."

The centre, which has now increased the number of beds to 10, boasts of its low relapse rate of 18 to 20 per cent, compared to the global relapse rate of 50 to 60 per cent. A patient has to spend a minimum of Rs 50 per day for the bed, while Rs 2,000 is charged in advance for food per month. According to the doctors, patients have to be admitted for a month at least.

Dr Anayet Mir, another doctor working at the centre, feels there is a dire need to create mass awareness against drug addiction. "We need to concentrate on the preventive aspect of addiction as all of us have a role to play for our future generations. We need to teach people about how to identify addicts or patients in need of therapy. In some cases, even the family members, thinking that these drugs had medicinal value, were willingly permiting their use," adds Dr Mir.

Drugs containing opioids such as codeine and heroin are popular among most addicts, say doctors. Benzodiazepines like diazepam, alprazolam, cannabis derivatives like hashish, marijuana; and increased use of alcohol are also responsible for the surge in addiction. Even schoolchildren are falling prey to this menace, using inhalants such as polish and glue.

A social activist, Yasir Zahgir, who is working with addicts, adds, "In some cases, the person is not even aware that the medicine he is being offered by his friend is not a simple pill to cure a headache but a deadly drug. We had a patient who thought he was consuming pills to cure a headache that a friend had offered but that obviously wasn’t the case. Hence we need to spread awareness about addiction to prescription pills, not just banned drugs like opium, heroin, marijuana and hashish."

Dr Riyaz Ahmed, who single-handedly runs the Baramulla de-addiction centre, is alarmed at the soaring rate of addiction cases. This has created a desperate need for an outpatient department (OPD) to handle patients with severe withdrawal symptoms. "In this district alone, in last two years we have registered 263 patients. Out of these 150 cases were registered at a medical camp started by the police. There is an alarming shortage of rehabilitation centres here. And the ones that already exist don’t have trained staff to run them," he adds.

Baramulla, the largest district in Kashmir, has only a small two-room de-addiction centre at the district hospital. The in charge of the centre, Dr Ahmed, is also the Assistant Surgeon, the General Duty Medical Officer and in charge of the blood bank at the hospital. "We have no nurses or other staff to help us. The posts of pharmacist, counsellor and psychiatrist have been vacant since the inception of the centre. Because of staff shortage, many addicts who suffer from anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder remain untreated. The number of patients in the general OPD has increased 10-fold since the conflict started in the nineties, but the staff strength has remained the same. How can we function like this?" he asks.

Dr Ahmed visits the centre every Tuesday from 10 am to 2 pm, and every Saturday 2 pm onwards. The four-bed centre was promised Rs 2 lakh a year when it was inaugurated in May 2007, but the money has not yet been sanctioned. The centre is currently functioning with the help of money from the hospital development fund, while some more funds and medicines are being provided by some non-government organisations.

Despite the stigma attached to drug addiction, there are many people who travel a long distance, especially from border districts, to come here for treatment.

According to Dr Ahmed, there are many reasons why the young adults have turned to drugs. "First, there is the pharmaceutical abuse, where people are hooked to prescription drugs as these are easy to procure. Then there’s the physical and psychological trauma of living with violence. To escape from this trauma they turn to drugs. Unemployment also contributes to this predicament," adds Dr Ahmed.

Dr Ahmed has seen a sudden spurt in the number of alcohol dependency cases in the Sikh community that lives in the district in the last few years. To make matters worse, cultivation of cannabis near the border near Uri makes it easily available to the locals.

Poppy cultivation in remote areas has also made the product cheaper in the state. According to SSP Mehmood, "If you pay Rs 1,000 for drugs in Mumbai, here you will get the same amount of drugs for just Rs 100."

"We have seen people who have had their homes burnt or shelled during the conflict, or those whose parents have died in violent incidents. There are children who have no one to look after them. Most of these people turn to drugs to escape reality. Even women have fallen prey to this menace and use easily available drugs like inhalants like polish, ink-removers and nicotine. It’s a vicious cycle – because of the unemployment youth turn to drugs, and because of this addiction these youngsters don’t get jobs. We also need to educate the family members to provide them with continuous support otherwise they can relapse," explains Dr Ahmed.

Dr Zaid Wani, a psychiatrist at the psychiatric diseases hospital in Srinagar, echoes similar views and states that the environment is conducive to addiction. He says that almost 80 per cent of addicts are hooked to prescription drugs. "There is a need for clinics at sub-divisional level to reach even the most remote parts of the Valley," adds Dr Wani.

With a handful of centres in Srinagar and hardly any in other 10 districts, there is no place for those seeking help.

"Drugs that are normally unavailable to normal people are available to these addicts as they know how to get them on the black market," says a doctor.

A senior police official requesting anonymity says that if the state wants to tackle the drug crisis, it should first bust the nexus among the pharmacists, the police and the drug addicts. "There is deep-rooted corruption, and the state authorities should come down heavily on them. If the government is serious about addressing this issue, it should target areas like Bijbehara, Yaripora, Pulwama and Kulgam, and destroy the poppy and cannabis fields. There are a large number of villagers whose livelihood depends on drug cultivation. We should offer them an alternative cash crop, if we want to nip this menace in the bud," he adds.