The de-addiction centre in Kapurthala is overflowing with drug addicts. The de-addiction centre in Kapurthala is overflowing with drug addicts.

The Lok Sabha elections have landed the drugs problem of Punjab right in the middle of almost every political debate in the state. Interestingly, while in some instances the average man addicted to drugs is asking politicians to open poppy husk vends in the state for easy availability of the narcotic, in other cases Heroin addicts are rushing to get themselves admitted in de-addiction centres after a clampdown on the drug trade by the election commission.

The de-addiction centre in Kapurthala is overflowing with drug addicts. Coinciding with the imposition of the election code of conduct and a crackdown on drug trade in the state, the centre has seen an unprecedented rush of addicts wanting to be cured. The lack of easy availability of heroin and pushed them to the de-addiction centre.

Dr Sandeep Bhola, in-Charge of the de-addiction centre in Kapurthala reveals that in the last couple of months the number of patients has increased. "Right now we have 40-odd patients in our centre and 80 in OPD based treatment. Couple of months back it used to be around total 60-70 now it is more than 100 patients. Based on that I can say that the number of cases has increased because of strictness by enforcement agencies that is why the number of patients is increasing in de-addiction centres," he says

What is worrying now is that the addicts are now in the grips of a far more lethal drug like Heroin after their initial intake of softer drugs.

Dr Sandeep Bhola informs that the de-addiction centre mainly getting patients addicted to heroin. For the last one year the number of injecting drug users has increased remarkably. As many as 90 per cent of the cases are that of heroin addicts now.

He adds that addicts start with soft drugs and go on to stringer drugs. When they build tolerance to sniffing or chasing to get full effect they start injecting. In couple of cases they do not have money to buy full quality of drugs and they get small drugs and they inject it.

Such is the vice-like grip of drugs over the youth in Punjab that now the average age group has started lowering to early teens.

According to Dr Bhola, earlier they used to get patients in the age group of 25-30 but in last few months or from last one year they are getting patients from lower age group too from 15 to 20 years. "In couple of cases we have got patients less than that also," he says.

He informs that his experience shows that when peddling starts going from colleges to schools that is why lower age groups are involved. This has been shown by research done by various agencies that the age of users has come down to 12 or 13 years of age, informs Dr Bhola.

The therapist at the de-addiction centre points out that affluence and access to spare cash is one of the prime reasons of addiction in this prosperous state

Neetu Singla takes a break from her counselling session with the addicts to tell us that mostly the reason for addiction in Punjabi youth is unemployment, second emotional break ups, enjoyment, bad company, peer pressure, economical status. Those who have lot of money they also get into it, she says.

"We also get cases where they want to go abroad and they want that in their medical check up their drug status should not come. So they first get their treatment done and then their medical gets clear. Also in foreign county they will not get easy availability of drugs. Also they know they have to work hard there. Because of drugs their mental and physical strength goes weak," says Neetu.

A drug addict undergoing counselling reveals that he has been spending Rs 1000 per day on his heroin habit for the last four days. Requesting anonymity, he says Punjab Police and politicians are the reason why there is easy availability of drugs.

The data of drug addicts under treatment in Kapurthala civil hospital's drug de-addiction centre gives out the true picture. The number of addicts seeking treatment is going up steadily ever since the centre came into existence.

Take GFX



Year No. of Patients

2007 64

2008 221

2009 271

2010 330

2011 438

2012 845

2013 855

2014 295 (Till April 17, 2014)



The unfettered proliferation of drugs has the residents of villages at their wits end. They have no choice but to be mute spectators, as Veer Singh, former Sarpanch of Dogranwa, a Kapurthala village informs.

" There is a big problem of drugs here. Smack, white powder etc. At least 150-200 people are doing this business. Police is doing nothing. People come from as far as Chandigarh, Phagwara who come and buy this drug. At least 200 vehicles come every day to buy drugs. So much smack and white powder is being sold that there is no control," he says in exasperation.

According to him there is some pressure on police which is why they are not doing anything.

Former Congress MLA from Bholath, a Kapurthala Assembly segment and spokesperson for Punjab Congress, Sukhpal Khaira, lays the blame squarely at the Akali-BJP Government's door.

"See drugs and elections and politicians are all interconnected in Punjab. This has been going on for many years but now suddenly there has been a sudden spurt in drug trafficking in Punjab. The drug lord Jagdish Bhola named the Punjab revenue Minister, Bikramjit Singh Majithia, the brother-in-

Law of Sukhbir Badal, but there has been no inquiry against the said Minister," says Khaira.

He adds that t is common knowledge that in every village inPunjab lots of households are selling drugs. Says Khaira, "For example in my village there are 100 families involved. Yet Police are told by Akali govt not to enter village because of votes. Each village is having 7-8 young deaths below the age of 40 and this is connected to electoral politics in Punjab".

Not surprisingly, the issue is a matter of tit-for-tat for political parties. The Akali candidate from Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency blames the Congress government in centre for the problem and promises that Modi will sort things out once he is the PM

The problem of drug addiction in Punjab is due to Congress, says Tinnu. "The drugs come from the border and it is the centre which is controlling the border. If the central government wants then nothing can come across the border. But the central government is against Punjab therefore this is happening under a conspiracy to weaken our youth. When our government comes to power Narendra Modi will stop all this," he concludes.

But there is an interesting twist in the drugs story of Punjab. Politicians campaigning in the state are now being faced by a strange plea... They are being asked to open government approved vends on the lines of liquor vends from where addicts could purchase narcotics like poppy husk. They are also being berated for the crackdown on drug trade because of which they no longer get easy access to them.

Shockingly, the Shiromani Akali Dal candidate says that she has forwarded the demand of opening poppy husk vends to the Chief Minister and even says that the narcotic is not harmful

Paramjit Kaur Gulshan, Akali candidate from Faridkot says,

"People are already addicted to this, what can be done. We have got a demand on these lines with our MLAs and area in-charges and we have forwarded the same to the CM". She goes on to shockingly add that "This stuff is not harmful".

And while the politicians squabble, the average Punjabi can do nothing but watch his prosperous state spiral down the drug path.

