The controversy over Udta Punjab has once again brought to fore Punjab’s drug menace, which according to one study had even gripped children below the age of 10, although in a minuscule number.
Almost all studies on drug abuse in Punjab conducted in the last decade have brought out one thing in common — that over 70% of Punjab youth in the 16-35 age group suffer from addiction. A study by the Institute of Development and Communication (IDC) in 2010 says 3% of them are below 10 years of age. The ruling SAD-BJP government dismissed the magnitude of drug menace saying it’s an opposition ploy to defame Punjab youth even as the Congress and the AAP accuses the ruling alliance for the mess.
The study stated that drug abuse was a “historical problem” and not a recent phenomenon, IDC chairman Dr Promod Kumar told DH. “Political nexus” is also not new, he said.
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