India's Worrying Alcohol Problem: Over 5.7 crore addicts, 'desi' liquor most consumed
The Narendra Modi government told the Supreme Court recently, citing data from a court-mandated survey that a staggering 1.58 crore children aged between 10 and 17 years are addicted to substances in the country.
FollowThe shocking death of 50 people in a hooch tragedy in Bihar's Chapra has once again put the spotlight on the lackadaisical implementation of the prohibition policy and the manner in which the illicit liquor mafia has been operating with impunity. At the same time, this also points towards a bigger problem -- addiction.Â
The Narendra Modi government told the Supreme Court recently, citing data from a court-mandated survey that a staggering 1.58 crore children aged between 10 and 17 years are addicted to substances in the country.
Also Read:Â 'If you drink, you'll die': Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on hooch tragedy deaths
The psychoactive substance most commonly used is alcohol, followed by cannabis and opioids. About 16 crore people consume alcohol. Over 5.7 crore individuals are addicted to alcohol and in need of help.
Citing the survey data, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told a bench of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna that cannabis products are used by 3.1 crore individuals, of which about 25 lakh are cannabis-dependent. Another 2.26 crore people use opioids, of which 77 lakh individuals are in need of help for opioid-use issues.
The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment had initiated a nationwide survey -- the first of its kind -- on the extent and pattern of substance use in the country and to generate a national database following the apex court's December 2016 verdict.Â
However, Senior advocate HS Phoolka, who was representing the non-profit 'Bachpan Bachao Andolan' contended the government is not complying with the Supreme Court's directions and skipped certain aspects of its national plan.
When the judge asked Phoolka whether he was aggrieved by non-compliance with the court's order or if more could have been done in the plan, Phoolka said that even though the national plan had been complied with, more aspects could have been covered.
The ministry, in its affidavit, said the survey was conducted in 2018 through the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
"About 14.6 per cent of the country's population (between 10 and 75 years of age) uses alcohol. In terms of absolute numbers, there are about 16 crore people who consume alcohol in the country," the survey said.
Further, the report said that alcohol consumption is higher among men (27.3 per cent) as compared to women (1.6 per cent). States where alcohol use is more prevalent are Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa. The most common types of liquor consumed are 'desi sharab' or country liquor (about 30 per cent) and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (about 30 per cent). Cannabis and opioids are the next most commonly used substances in India after alcohol.Â
About 2.8 per cent of the population, or 3.1 crore people, reported having used any cannabis product within the previous year. Of this, approximately 2.2 crore persons consumed cannabis (bhang) while about 1.3 crore people for illegal cannabis products like ganja and charas.
Also Read:Â 'Jawaharlal Nehru used to take drugs': Remark of PM Modi's minister sparks controversy
