As drug addiction is engulfing Kashmir valley with each passing day, over 41,000 people sought treatment for substance abuse in just one hospital of Srinagar last year which is nearly double the figure of 2021 which was 23,000.
Official figures reveal that 41,110 people sought treatment for substance abuse in Kashmir in 2022 as compared to 23,403 a year before.
Dr Yasir Rather, Incharge drug de-addiction center, Government Medical College, Srinagar said that the primary reason for increase in number of addicts coming forward for treatment was the cost escalation of heroin owing to the decrease in supply.
“The anti-narcotics forces have been able to shrink the supply with huge consignment seizures and crackdown on peddlers. The results of that are visible,” he said and added that anecdotal evidence reveals that a gram of heroin would cost Rs 2,000-3,000 in 2022, but the cost has escalated to around Rs 6,000 now.
“While the demand remained static for some time and the costs rose, a lot of abusers are left with no choice but to seek treatment,” Dr Rather added.
According to a study ‘Prevalence and Pattern of Substance Use Disorders in Kashmir (2022)’ carried out by Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS), heroin is the primary drug of abuse in the valley.
The study reveals that the average cost incurred by one person consuming a gram of heroin per day was to the tune of Rs 88,183, indicating a significant economic burden.
“The large economic burden resulting from heroin addiction highlights the importance of investment in prevention and treatment. The social costs of heroin addiction can be high,” Arshid Hussain, a professor of Psychiatry at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar told DH.
He said the largest proportion of costs is from lost potential productivity, followed by non-health and health-related costs.
“Use of resources to address health and crime consequences as well as the loss of potential productivity from disability, death and withdrawal from the legitimate workforce are some of the indicators of economic burden of drug abuse,” Dr Hussain added.