November 26, 2022

What is behind the rise in India's youth's drug abuse?

topic:	Health and Sanitation
located:	India
editor:	Hanan Zaffar

With around 100 million substance addicts in the country, India has seen a 70 percent rise in narcotic consumption in the past eight years. In what can be considered a conservative estimate, the United Nations has found that 13 percent of drug-abuse victims in India are below the age of 20. Social scientists based out of the country attribute widespread drug abuse among the adolescent population to the poor socioeconomic conditions, like unemployment, violence, sexual abuse and exploitation. 

The Indian Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has released figures in the past on approximate drug use, revealing that there were 31 million cannabis users, 24 million users of opioids and 7.7 million individuals using inhalers.

Rising drug abuse in India has also been associated with one of the reasons for the increase in crime. Registered violent crime, including rape, kidnapping, crimes against children, murder and robberies increased again in 2021 - the true number of which is believed to be much greater as many crimes go unreported. 

At the same time, a total of 1,193,359 cases of domestic violence have been registered across the country under the Domestic Violence (DV) Act. A large number of domestic violence, especially those against women and children in the family, are ascribed to drug and alcohol abuse. Numerous cases of women and children being abused while placed under the influence of alcohol or another narcotic substance have also been known to occur.

India, while witnessing a rise in drug abuse, is also experiencing widespread unemployment, and a link between the two cannot be ignored. According to data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), India’s unemployment rate in October 2022 increased to 7.8 percent from 6.4 percent in the previous month. While the jobless rate in urban areas saw a marginal drop from 7.7 percent to 7.2 percent, it saw a drastic rise from 5.8 percent to 8.0 percent in rural India. 

The country also experiences widespread labour exploitation, both in the formal and informal economies. This results in harsh working conditions for workers, labourers and even employees working at lower levels, with little remuneration in return. At the same time, child labour and child abuse are still prevalent in the country, with no complete solution available to resolve it yet. Experts have pointed to this environment as one leading such people towards drug abuse, as a way to escape the harsh conditions of life. 

Another important aspect to the increase in drug abuse in the country is the complete disregard for mental health. Drug abuse victims have little or no access to mental health facilities, aggravating the crisis. In India the scale of mental disorders accounts for nearly 15 percent of the global mental health burden, while also facing a vast treatment gap.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), stigma prevents nearly 80 percent of those suffering from mental health issues from receiving treatment. The discussion of mental health has been veiled in taboo and lack of awareness, exacerbating the already grave crisis.

While treating the symptoms and getting people back on their feet through rehabilitation programmes should be the government’s priority in the short term, improving the living conditions and quality of life by creating economic opportunities may provide young people with the necessary hope to turn away from substance use.

Photo by Markus Spiske

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