Has marijuana consumption become a trend among teenagers and young adults in Delhi? The question remains unaltered as there seems to be no data on the exact amount of consumption of marijuana (weed) by teenagers.

Kartik (name changed), a 22-year-old resident of NCR, believes that the changing trend and support for smoking weed by celebrities has a greater impact on teens than the pressure they receive from their peers especially with an outrageous tag of “cool” and “healthy” given to it by the practitioners.

The impression by celebrities, from Bob Marley to Miley Cyrus, supporting the drug seems to get more deep rooted as the years go by.

The dictionary calls marijuana as “a drug smoked or ingested for euphoric effect; the hemp plant itself; cannabis sativa”.

Even as thousands of lives are being lost to this addiction, which makes the addicts weak and drains them of precious resources, the authorities are clearly not doing enough to crack down on culprits.

When asked the reason for his intake of the weed, Abhilash (name changed) –who is currently pursuing law from one of the famous universities in NCR – says: “I started the intake of weed out of curiosity. Before I knew it, it became an inseparable part of my routine.”

A 19-year-old Delhiite, Armaan (name changed), states peer pressure as the reason for his intake of the infamous drug. He says that the sense of peace that he obtains by its consumption is inexplicable and relaxing. A man in the trade said irrespective of gender or age, the addiction is picking up. With marijuana available at rates as low as Rs.50 to as high as Rs.4,000 or more depending on its quality, he says it remains well within the reach of many.

Though banned, marijuana is being sold in Delhi and nearby townships, in areas including Madangir near Malviya Nagar; Subash Chowk near Huda City Centre, Gurgaon; Indraprastha Park near Nizamuddin, Bhasgaon near Manesar, Ajmeri Gate near New Delhi railway station, Sadar Bazar, and Malibu Town as suggested by the source.

In Delhi, cannabis is easily available in the following forms with altered rates:

Hash – Rs.800 to Rs.4000 (10gm)

Weed – Rs.50 to Rs.120 (a pack), and

Bhola – Rs.2 to Rs.3 (per piece - edible)

Considering the easy accessibility of the prohibited drug, those working in the field of de-addiction believe that the police must speed up the crackdown on its sources.

Bhasker. K.N, chief secretary of Safe House Rehabilitation Centre in Delhi, said millions of people around the world seem to have fallen victim to this infamous trend. “One cannot be freed of his habits until one wants to change or is willing to change. It takes an average adult around 3 to 6 months to come out of an addiction,” he said.