The Tale of the Walking Dead
A generation lost
Bruised veins. Vacant eyes. And equally vacant futures.This is a story of the living dead. A story of how a human soul is lost and crippled, by drug abuse.
The international drug trade is worth a whopping $500 billion, which is 3rd largest in the world. 7 drug-related suicides take place every day in India. There are an estimated 3.4 million drug abuse victims with just 401 rehabilitation centres for them. Out of these 3.4 million drug abuse victims, a mere 0.3 million have registered themselves in these de-addiction centres, which is just 10% of the total figure.
It’s frightfully easy to cook up an addicting concoction. In 2014, the rave parties of Mumbai started swearing by a powerful new stimulant called the MCAT or mephedrone, with the cute nickname of ‘miao-miao’.The new drug was cheaper than cocaine, with effects that seemed thrilling to the young and the restless- the ability to stay up at all hours, increased confidence, energy and the feeling of being ‘invincible’. Its effects lasted longer than cocaine but the comedowns were serious- users admitted to feeling almost suicidal. To keep up the high, they had to keep up the use of this ‘impure drug, made of every white powder possible.’
MCAT has kept the Mumbai police on their toes since, as its widespread use saw rehab centres full of broken teenagers who were completely addicted to this new white powder. Part of their struggle to completely stamp out the drug from the city, even after including MCAT in the NDPS Act, seemed to arise from the ease with which its chemical constituents could be tweaked, to create something entirely different. Tomorrow teenagers could be hooked on to something the average drug dealer cooked up in his pressure cooker; you never knew. The illicit drug trade is like a many headed hydra.
Whether it is Punjab or Mumbai or Karnataka, the story of the average drug addict is the same. Many reasons prompt them to take this plunge. They may range from isolation, unemployment, a desire to ‘fit in’ or just pure curiosity. At first, it feels wonderful. As relationships fail, and dreams of doing something worthwhile go up in smoke, all they have remaining is the drug that ultimately takes their life.
Recognising the need to join hands to fight this evil, the UN designated 26th June as the International day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking. The theme for 2017: “Listen First”, for listening to children and youth is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe.” After all, we must understand that the battle against drug addiction cannot be won by law enforcers alone. By keeping a check on our friends and family and being there to support them we can to some extent, prevent our loved ones from falling into this abyss.
