# Bethak - The Desi Lounge > Freedom Castle >  Drug culture in Pakistan

## Endurer

Excuse me if I sound unconventional today. The issue that I want all of you to discuss has already taken it's toll on the younger generation of Pakistan. Let me tell you a fact: Of every three persons (belonging to nearly every profession) I meet in my day to day life here in Pakistan, one is a drug addict. Thanks to the Afghani migrants for giving us guns, accusations, and drugs in exchange of love, shelter, and tax exemptions.

Who am I to blame here? The law enforcement agencies are corrupt to the core and the Government itself has done next to nothing in curbing this menace. Hash (charas) in particular is more conveniently available than a glass of purified water. Oh and it's not just limited to the (dominant?) male gender - females enjoy equality too. 

In this land of hypocrisy, people don't discuss what they do in their drawing rooms. Take sex or drugs as an instance. It's a taboo and will remain one, unless we take an initiative on the grass root level. We need to educate our younger generation and not just leave it on the swinging penedulum to decide their fate. Awareness here is the key and I just hope that this so called free-media takes it into consideration.

Got opinions, comments, or suggestions? I am all ears.

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## Miss_Sweet

Jahan tak mujhe pata hai.. to drugs sirf Pakistan me nahi...balke har country mein use kiye jaate hain...shayad Pakistan mein kuch ziada coz wahan drugs or aisi chizo ke baare mein educate nai kia jata...and they dont knw how dangerous it is..

and drugs are a crime...kuch log smuggle karte hain and kuch log drugs ke effects ki wajah se crime karte hain...becoz drugs change their behaviour...

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## friendlygal786

But in Pak...do most people not kno the dangers of taking drugs?

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## Endurer

They don't sis. Let me give you some stats:




> According to certain studies the number of drug users in Pakistan is four million while 40 percent of drug users are said to experiment with drugs for first time are between the age of 15 to 22 years. In Karachi alone 40 people a day are dying of drug abuse.


40 people die of drug abuse in a day in Karachi - 12 April 2002

A young addict in Karachi:





> There are about 14,000 street children in Karachi and most are sniffing glue, said Aksa Zainab, a social worker who helps street kids at a drop-in centre operated by the Azad Foundation in cooperation with UNICEF. 
> 
> According to our research, 90 percent of these children are involved in glue sniffing or in some other solvent abuse, Zainab added.


Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan




> Almost 60% of the total population of Pakistan is involved in drug addiction. The number, which is rising alarmingly, includes those addicted to all forms of contraband drugs, alcohol, tranquilizers and anti-depressants. Almost all sections of the society have fallen victims to this evil. The educated class, which is perceived to be aware of the ill-effects of the drugs is the worstly affected. According to researches, 60 per cent of the total addicts in the country are literate and employed. With regard to the occupational categorization of drug addicts, the ratio is: labour class 53.3 per cent, sales persons 14.1 per cent, agriculture workers 10.9 per cent and students 11.4 per cent. Punjab is the worst hit province having 45 per cent of the total four million addicts. More the 71 per cent of the addicts are between 25 and 30 years


Youth Concern: The rising toll of drug addicts

As per United nations office on drugs crime:




> Pakistan is one of the countries hardest hit by narcotics abuse in the world. According to national drug abuse surveys, the number of chronic abusers of heroin increased from about 20,000 in 1980 to more than 1.5 million in the late 1990's. 
> 
> Drugs in the region are mostly ingested orally; heroin is usually smoked or the smoke is inhaled. In Pakistan, a small number of heroin injection cases have begun to emerge in the Karachi area. This practice -- previously unknown in the subregion -- has been observed in recent studies and raises concerns about the increase risk of transmitting blood-borne diseases, such as hepatitis and HIV/AIDS, through the process of needle sharing


UNODC Country Office, Pakistan - Country Profile

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## friendlygal786

Wow, these stats r crazy...thats just such a shame that so many people do this. Not even education, there is probably another reoson causing so many people to using drugs

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## Glamorous-Ladee

:Embarrassment:   :Embarrassment:  thoes stats are pretty wack... 
i think yassi sis they call the reason "stress".. tht's wut a drug user/smoker usually says wen u ask em why they do it...

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## Endurer

IMO it's more peer pressure than stress. The stress-free younger generation in particular  takes it as a fashion statement. The real culprits here are lack of education and resources for those who'd want to achieve.

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## crazy_guy

its  not in the pakistan only its also in saudia arabia ...here  the goverment has striked about drugs but ..every year the drugs come in this country ...about 100 crore riyals drugs come in saudia arabia ... my friend who works in police he told me all this stuff ...
but here the drugs addictors have a pain full punishment ...'the goverment was were striked about it but ...it cant stop...

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## Miss_Sweet

> They don't sis. Let me give you some stats:
> 
> 
> 
> 40 people die of drug abuse in a day in Karachi - 12 April 2002
> 
> A young addict in Karachi:
> 
> 
> ...


Oh my God...kya bane ga in logo ka:s

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## manni9

Superb topic, yeh sub hamari aankhoon ke saamne hoota hea phir bhi koi awaz nahi uthata,well done bro.
But what should we do to keep ourself n our families "clean"?
And how can we help these people to stop taking drugs?

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## crazy_guy

keep away from those ppl who are taking drugs ////...or the ppl who has bussiness in this type of ...drugs...u can be safe in that case...

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## volvo

Content removed

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## crazy_guy

mein nay app kay ghar aa kar drugs liyaya thay ju app ko pata hai kay mein bhi drugs laita hun ...volvo ...

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## friendlygal786

its a tough situation to deal with, a major prob. One wouldnt kno where to start solving this problem

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## AaDi

hehe come on people .. you are making me lauff!!

There was a time (oh yes there was) when even smoking was considered as bad as drugs .. but now .. its quite common .. same goes for drinking (oh come one, please dont give me that look) .. people can go and drink (for the socialising sake) and from another topic in this very section, most people agree to sex education (oh remember there was a time when sex was a taboo word) .. so whats this fuss about .. give it 5-10 years (+/-2) and all this will seem perfectly normal .. peace  :Wink:

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## friendlygal786

It mite be normal in a few years but its still a problem, A MAJOR one...sex education is somthing diff altogether Aadi...its not harmful to peoples lives. Drug addiction is a totally seperate issue

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## AaDi

> It mite be normal in a few years but its still a problem, A MAJOR one...sex education is somthing diff altogether Aadi...its not harmful to peoples lives. Drug addiction is a totally seperate issue


I would not discuss sex education here as it is off the topic.

But as far as drug addiiction is concerned. Why worry about it?? I really don't see a concern. Why is it "bad"? and oh I used double-quotes on purpose .. for example ..




> Through the use of cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco, nicotine is one of the most heavily used addictive drugs in the United States. In 2005, 29.4 percent of the U.S. population 12 and older - 71.5 million people - used tobacco at least once in the month prior to being interviewed.* This figure includes 3.3 million young people age 12 to 17 (13.1 percent). Young adults aged 18 to 25 reported the highest rate of past month use of any tobacco products (44.3 percent) in 2005.


Source: National Institute of Drug Abuse

Tobacco and nicotine deaths figurers are much more higher than deaths caused by use of drugs. Oh I forgot one thing:



Source: Drug Library

Our all favourite alcohol is right behind tobacco .. someone needs to get their priorities right ..

@yusra .. this is was not directed at you .. if it was offensive .. read my siggy  :Wink: 

oh and for those 'clever' people who will going to post this is a topic about Pakistan drug abuse, I'm using USA material as a reference..

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## friendlygal786

no offense taken...I mentioned sex education cuz u had mentioned it in ur previous post.

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## Endurer

What has _USA_ got to do with a topic clearly mentioning _Pakistan_ in the title? Let me also assure you that it's already become normal for people to do drugs here. It's time we pay attention to the root cause (illetracy, lack of resources, corruption to name a few) of this problem and not just sit in the corner like a bunch of losers and pretend that it's all over.

Scores of people are dying in Karachi alone (page one for reference) and the more this menace spreads, the more we will get closer to the beginning of the end.

The story of this person will perhaps give you some motivation.

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## AaDi

> What has _USA_ got to do with a topic clearly mentioning _Pakistan_ in the title?


The post 'clearly' gives the reason why USA was mentioned. So now I'm going to be told just because a country's name gets mentioned in a topic title, users are not allowed to post a different country's name!? I did search around but I'm afraid no other country provided the statstics I required.





> It's time we pay attention to the root cause (illetracy, lack of resources, corruption to name a few) of this problem and not just sit in the corner like a bunch of losers and pretend that it's all over.


lol the causes you have mentioned have been there, well, since Pakistan was made. I, personally, think a 15 year old has enough sense to know whats right and whats wrong. Just because 'that' loser did not have something called common sense, does not make anyone else (from the public) be responsible for them. (oh you can shoot the politicians by all means necessary).

Oh and please dont come back at me with that crap saying 'halaat majboor karte hain' .. to hell with these 'excuses' .. I've been thru the same 'halaat' .. I never have and never will think of doing something like that.

We can keep doing this for next 10 years by posting and pointing fingers at whats wrong, but the people who actually can make a difference don't even bother about it.

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## Endurer

It's post mortem time  :Stick Out Tongue:   :Big Grin: 




> The post 'clearly' gives the reason why USA was mentioned.


But it doesn't justify your 'reason'.




> So now I'm going to be told just because a country's name gets mentioned in a topic title, users are not allowed to post a different country's name!? I did search around but I'm afraid no other country provided the statstics I required.


You can't bring statistics of a country which has oh well 100 x infinity times more resources. A country that can only be served as a role model and NOT a comparitive case study.




> lol the causes you have mentioned have been there, well, since Pakistan was made. I, personally, think a 15 year old has enough sense to know whats right and whats wrong.


What are your contributions in this regard other than of course the outright _I give up and so should you_? When was the last time you met a handful of 15 year old Pakistanis living here in Pakistan? How, in your opinion, can they differentiate between right and wrong? Lets assume that they can what you say they can, why are they not pulling their fingers off of this menace?




> Just because 'that' loser did not have something called common sense, does not make anyone else (from the public) be responsible for them. (oh you can shoot the politicians by all means necessary).


Each and every single person is responsible here. You, me, this whole country. It's time we should keep our personal differences aside and work for the benefit of our country. 




> Oh and please dont come back at me with that crap saying 'halaat majboor karte hain' .. to hell with these 'excuses' .. I've been thru the same 'halaat' .. I never have and never will think of doing something like that.


What have you been through in the entire span of your life? When was the last time you had to sleep on a pavement because you were homeless? When was the last time you were kicked on your buttocks because you didn't had resources enough that could shield you from the social plague? When was the last time you were devoid of parents? Are you an orphan, or an outcast? Have you worked for a cycle mechanic for rs 10/ day?

The answer is a fortunate NO. Now for the sake of this discussion, lets assume that you have gone through all or some of that and you'vedecided to keep yourself in one piece; can you please tell us how it feels like when you're there?




> We can keep doing this for next 10 years by posting and pointing fingers at whats wrong, but the people who actually can make a difference don't even bother about it.


I have no intentions to start a mud slinging carnival again because it (as you said) won't change a thing. We need people who can at least brainstorm us. I can make a difference and so can you. Aadi these drugs take the soul out of one's country. Do you remember those Mughals? We all know what happened to them. Today I have seen people here who want to make a difference. All they need is support and we're the ones who can give it to them.

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## AaDi

> It's post mortem time


 Sure it iz  :Wink:   :Big Grin: 





> But it doesn't justify your 'reason'.


 The 'reason' was that if drug is being given attention because of the number of deaths .. than tobacco is the main killer and then alcohol. I hope you get the reason now, if not, I'll explain more.




> You can't bring statistics of a country which has oh well 100 x infinity times more resources. A country that can only be served as a role model and NOT a comparitive case study.


 Take it wat you want it to be taken as .. role model or case study .. I was pointing out the figures .. if you still feel like denying it, totally your choice




> What are your contributions in this regard other than of course the outright _I give up and so should you_?


I've done what I could and will continue to do what I can. I also try my best to donate whenever I can and wherever I can .. And I never gave up and so shouldn't you!




> When was the last time you met a handful of 15 year old Pakistanis living here in Pakistan?


Umm 2004




> How, in your opinion, can they differentiate between right and wrong?


The sense of right and wrong comes at the age of 12. For more information, talk to child specialists or something.




> Lets assume that they can what you say they can, why are they not pulling their fingers off of this menace?


No, you answer that how are they able to consume drugs, they do cost, so is someone giving them free!?




> Each and every single person is responsible here. You, me, this whole country. It's time we should keep our personal differences aside and work for the benefit of our country.


 Great! Lets 'work'!




> What have you been through in the entire span of your life? When was the last time you had to sleep on a pavement because you were homeless? When was the last time you were kicked on your buttocks because you didn't had resources enough that could shield you from the social plague? When was the last time you were devoid of parents? Are you an orphan, or an outcast? Have you worked for a cycle mechanic for rs 10/ day?


Just cuz now I've got my life to a standard, does not mean its been like this from day 1. I started from at the age of 15 (14 but I wont call it work). And YES, I've been homeless and YES, I've spent nights after nights .. starving!!! I've also worked for £2.5/hr, just to get something to eat and make sure I could commune, I had to work atleast 5 hours a day (I worked 16-18 hours shift), I also worked in factories where they made bread loafs, BUT I never gave up, I kept trying and I never lost the sense! and I also know exactly what you are pointing at, yes the conditions are terrible, wrong things do come in your head but again, the question I used to ask myself, would it do me any good?




> The answer is a fortunate NO.


Things are not always what they seem to be bro  :Smile: 




> Now for the sake of this discussion, lets assume that you have gone through all or some of that and you've decided to keep yourself in one piece; can you please tell us how it feels like when you're there?


I wish I could but its something you can only experience .. and I think I've pretty much answered it above.





> I have no intentions to start a mud slinging carnival again because it (as you said) won't change a thing. We need people who can at least brainstorm us. I can make a difference and so can you. Aadi these drugs take the soul out of one's country. Do you remember those Mughals? We all know what happened to them. Today I have seen people here who want to make a difference. All they need is support and we're the ones who can give it to them.


I exactly know what you mean Adeel and how these drugs destory the society but I only know one thing and it is a fact, most of the people who have posted here have just done it for the sake of it. They will forget it the instant they move to the next thread and thats what makes me angry. There is no point giving all the oooos and awwws and then finally forgetting it.

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## friendlygal786

Well, then y dont the people who really care say somthing or think of somthing that will make a difference and share it...instead of complaining and just pointing fingers at others

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## marymn

Its really pathetic to hear tat even very young people are in to addiction
Surely the Government should take control of this drug addiction..

Drug Rehab

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## attu81

thanks thanks

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## attu81

thanks thanks

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## theonejb

> The sense of right and wrong comes at the age of 12. For more information, talk to child specialists or something.


While agreeing with you on the other points, I don't think that the sense of right and wrong comes at the age of 12. 12 is a very small age to assume that the child can make out right from wrong, especially when he sees drugs being labeled as something cool by all the movies and tv shows that he sees. Also, when you're 12, you get your sense of right and wrong from what you see. So how is a 12 year old to judge that drugs are bad when he sees his older cousins and friends taking them?

In this discussion, you have forgotten the fact that drugs aren't just used by the poor, drug use is rampant in schools, colleges and universities. Being a university student, I can say that, in the educated class at least, drugs are used more as a recreational activity than as an escape from stress. Once you take out the source of the drugs, many will just stop using them. Unfortunately, the police are themselves involved, as they get a cut of the sales, and this too, I can confirm...

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