Youngsters switching to heroin from SP
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 25 2014: With the dreaded heroin readily available in different parts of the State at relatively cheaper price, the number of youngsters taking to drugs like heroin is increasing rather than declining in the State.

Notably, June 26 is observed as the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Ahead of this very important day, The Sangai Express interacted with some individuals to fathom the dynamics of drug abuse and large scale cultivation of poppy in hill areas, its impacts and possible remedial measures.

According to data available and collected from Targeted Intervention (TI) programme and Oral Substitution Therapy (OST) sites, there are around 12,210 injecting drug users in the State.

This figure is exclusive of the TI programme but a large number of injecting drug users and youngsters taking to abuse of SP capsules are not covered by this programme.

An injecting drug user and a pile of SP capsules (File Picture)

With the price of Spasmo Proxybon now sky rocketing to Rs 250 per capsule in the black market, many teenagers reading between Classes IX and XII who have already taken to SP capsules have switched to heroin as the latter is readily available at just Rs 50 per dose, said some injecting drug users on condition of anonymity.

One Bobo, a former drug abuser who has now successfully given up drugs after participating in a free drug detoxification camp said that nowadays youngsters can get heroin quite easily and quickly with the help of mobile phones.

If there is money, one need not worry in procuring drugs.

In spite of this alarming situation, the State Government has no concrete plan to combat the menace of drug abuse, Bobo said.

On the other hand, poppy is being cultivated extensively in many interior hill areas of the State.

Opium extracted from poppy flowers are taken up to Myanmar border on foot and it is sold at Rs 15000 to 20000 per Kg at its place of cultivation.

For taking opium up to Myanmar border, one gets Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 as courier charge.

Between 2005 and 2013, AMADA volunteers uprooted several thousands of poppy plants thereby destroying 16610 Kgs of would be opium.

It takes just around one month for a poppy plant to bear flowers after it is planted.

As poppy planting is labour and cost effective apart from being highly profitable, more and more people have started poppy cultivation, said some AMADA volunteers.

Although it is no longer a secret, the Government of Manipur has been acting mute and turning a blind eye to the extensive cultivation of poppy and opium export to Myanmar.

Across the international border, cultivation of poppy and consumption of opium is strictly prohibited both by the Government and revolutionary groups operating in different parts of the country.

If opium or heroin is seized from any individual by the revolutionary groups, he/she would be shot dead.

If the banned item is seized by the Government of Myanmar, he/she would be imprisoned for life.

Because of such stringent measures, poppy cultivation and manufacturing of opium has declined drastically in Myanmar.

As a ripple effect of such stringent measures, cultivation of poppy shifted to neighbouring Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.

Pointing out how the Government of Myanmar has been combating the menace of drug abuse with an iron hand, guided by a strong political will, Bobo highlighted the need to enact appropriate laws to check poppy cultivation and manufacturing of opium in the State.

Otherwise, the poppy cultivators and opium manufacturers would become slaves of the drugs they are cultivating and manufacturing after some years.

With the primary objective of weaning away drug addicts from their self-defeating habits, 21 rehabilitation centres have been opened in the State under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

But admission fee to these centres ranges from Rs 4000 to Rs 5000.On account of this high admission fee, many drug abusers could not capitalise on the opportunities given by these centres even if they wish to.

Deviating from the earlier practice of MSACS giving needles and syringes directly to injecting drug users at TI sites, needles and syringes are nowadays provided through NGOs.

The new system demands constant monitoring of the performance of NGOs, noted one NGO activist on condition of anonymity.

Although it was reported that 37 OST sites are required in Manipur for harm reduction resulting from drug abuse, only 12 such sites have been opened so far thereby denying the benefits of OST to hundreds of drug addicts.