Up in smoke

PAKISTAN is watching an epidemic unfold as the menace of narcotic abuse hits every fourth household in Karachi alone. From a transit passage, the country is now a leading consumer state. A 2022 UN report estimated that 7.6m people were addicts in Pakistan. Recent figures suggest a shocking 9m, with thousands added annually. The curse permeates race, status and ethnicity. It saturates posh private schools as severely as it does public colleges and indigent sections. A 2022 ANF-related survey found that 53pc of university students have experienced drugs, with almost a third confessing recent use. Heroin, cocaine, synthetic drugs and tranquillisers are passed on with troubling speed. Indeed, the drug cloud is the result of neglecting both international conventions and domestic laws.

On the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the World Drug Report says the number of drug users stands at “nearly 316m” globally. Pakistan has several fronts to tackle. First, it must treat addiction as a mental health and medical concern, not a moral flaw. Stigma and punitive attitudes force victims to disappear, leaving dealers free to peddle their poison. Second, corruption in law enforcement has only resulted in ineffective crackdowns, while scarce resources often dampen honest action. The scenario worsens when drug cartels, busted by police and the ANF, are rarely convicted. Only swift trials will ensure that the fear of punishment prevails. Additionally, border security must be fortified in Balochistan and KP where traffickers operate without fear. Third, every institution should frame narcotic policies supported by random testing, counselling and timely rehab referrals. Provincial education and health departments need to ensure anti-drug modules exist in curricula with easy access to mental healthcare. A rehabilitation framework comprising support groups and sanatoriums promise to cauterise the scourge. It must be remembered that addiction rips through victims to engulf families and communities.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2026

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