The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Warning: Practically any substance can be abused

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Warning: Practically any substance can be abused

City Bureau

It begins with pleasure-seeking, curiosity but leads to addiction

CHENNAI: The hall on Burkit Road, T. Nagar, was filled with schoolchildren and policemen. They were participating in a rally and an exhibition held on Monday to mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, observed every year on June 26.

"Since it fell on Sunday, we decided to hold the exhibition on Monday this year," said Rajeev Kumar, superintendent of police, Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, CID. The daylong exhibition featured posters and photographs, exhibits and statistics of the Bureau, which arranged the exhibition jointly with the Narcotics Control Bureau, South Zone.

In the rally that began from near Natesan Park, children carried placards explaining the evils of drug use. I.K. Govind, Director-General of Police, inaugurated the exhibition.

"The aim is to create awareness among adolescents because that is the time they begin experimenting," said an official of the Bureau. The excited children who walked single file past the exhibits kept questioning the NIB representatives.

Drug abuse starts as a fun experiment, said a volunteer. `Ganja' chocolates were sold outside schools. Children who try them get hooked in no time. The exhibition listed the various substances that were abused. There were also photographs and samples of poppy pods, Cannabis leaves and its derivatives; photographs on how the leaves were made into other products. There was a half-an-hour film show on how these drugs were prepared covertly.

Drug abuse was higher in Tamil Nadu because it was the transit point until five years ago, but the abuse prevalence was lower now. In 2002, the Narcotics Bureau seized 226.325 kg of drugs. In 2005, the seizure till now was 56 kg. The figures were for the south zone region, which included the four southern States and Lakshadweep.

The most important step in the management strategy of drug abuse was that everybody should be sensitised that any substance could be abused, B. Srinivasan, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute (SRMC & RI), said.

At a continuing medical education programme to mark the Day, he said therapy for drug abuse should include the whole family and the aim of therapy was to wean away the individual by motivation, periodic physical and psychological assessment, managing withdrawal symptoms.

While society, family, national policy, governance, cultural and religious values, literacy and health education had a major role in the primary prevention of alcohol and drug abuse, secondary prevention included early detection health camps.

Abuse of alcohol began with pleasure-seeking, curiosity, the pressure to perform more by artistes and others, anxiety, stress and depression, he said.

Preetam Arthur, Professor of Medicine at SRMC and RI outlined the various types of addictions and abuse, including coffee and tea.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu