Study flags drug use among Meghalaya kids as young as 10

Shillong: Drug use among Meghalaya's youth starts as early as 10, far younger than in Manipur or Nagaland, where the average initiation age is 22, a recent study has found.

The qualitative study, published in the Indian Journal of Public Health (April-June 2025 edition), was conducted by researchers from the Indian Institute of Public Health, Shillong, and the Meghalaya AIDS Control Society.

It surveyed 128 people enrolled in opioid substitution therapy across East Khasi Hills, West Jaintia Hills and East Jaintia Hills, along with 17 service providers.

The study found the mean age of drug initiation to be 19 years, with over one-third of respondents starting as minors and a quarter while still in school.

According to the study, more than 91 per cent of the users are male, 80 per cent work in the unorganised sector, and over half had less than 10 years of schooling.

Curiosity, family problems, peer pressure and stress relief were cited as key reasons for starting drug use, it noted.

Heroin emerged as the most frequently injected drug, with daily spending ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 2,000 and, in some cases, up to Rs 2,500, it added.

Access was described as "easy" through marketplaces and mobile-based transactions.

Once initial peer sharing ended, many users resorted to borrowing or stealing money, the research has found.

Researchers warned that early initiation increases the risk of long-term addiction and linked the trend to the breakdown of traditional community support systems.

Though polydrug use was rare, users often transitioned over time from pills or marijuana to heroin.

High-potency heroin variants, locally nicknamed 'black tiger' and 'double tiger', were reported to be especially addictive.

The study called for urgent outreach in educational institutions and community spaces to prevent early drug initiation and address the rising trend.