Kathmandu, June 24: Home Minister Govinda Raj Joshi addressing a symposium said that anti-drugs campaign should target the young people because they are the most vulnerable group. Brahma Kumari Rajyog Sewa Kendra (BKRSK) in assistance from Drugs Demand Reduction Project today organised a symposium to discuss about the situation of drug abuse and ways of fighting the problem.
Joshi also said that the problem of excessive use of hallucinogenic products in Nepal is mainly due to lack of education. He also hoped that the parliament would soon pass an anti-alcohol law that will bar sell of alcohol to underage people.
According to the Home Minister data, Nepal had a total of 30,000 drug addicts in 1999. Majority of the addicts belongs to 15 to 30 year age-bracket. Studies show that marijuana is produced in central and far western high hills and Terai plains. Last year police confiscated 4,059 kilos of marijuana, 1,316 kilos of hashish, 1.44 kilos of opium and 1.1515 kilos of heroin. Police also confiscated a large amount of smuggled liquid medications with considerable amount of buprenorphine and codeine, which are banned to be sold without doctors’ prescriptions.
Dr. Chop Lal Bhushal of Drugs Demand Reduction Project claimed that the number of addicts calculated by the government is far less than the real number. “Our studies show that the number of drugs addicts in Nepal stand anywhere between 50,000 to 60,000,” Bhusal said. The number of addicts claimed by Bhushal is double the number calculated by the government. “Addiction is a kind of disease that can kill not only the addicted person but his family and community,” he said adding that addiction has strong and preventable psychological and social reasons.
In Nepal, illegal import of hallucinogenic products was first traced back in 1970s and two decades later in early 1990s seriousness of problem was recognised. Globally, the systematic drugs trafficking on narcotics is believed to have started in 1950s.
“Today, systematic drug cartel has developed into unstoppable force that is encouraging corruption and violence around the globe. In comparison, the funds set aside to fight the illegal narcotics trafficking by governments is a meagre amount,” he said.
Available data shows that annual profit made on narcotics trade stands at US$ 500 billion. According to United Nations Drug Control Programme, 90 per cent of world profit made on drugs trade is pocketed by the traffickers, 6 per cent of it goes to farmers and 2 per cent is shared by labourers involved in refinement of drugs. UN’s Narcotics Control Board claims that annually 240 tonnes of opium is produced in the world.
“Drugs problem is becoming epidemic,” SSP Ravi Raj Thapa from the Nepal Police Headquarter said. He blamed emerging “materialistic attitude and mentality” for rampant narcotics trade.
Amik Sherchan of United People’s Front, Bhim Acharya of Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist, Bala Ram Gharti Magar of Rastriya Prajatantra Party and NP Saud of Nepali Congress expressed their party’s commitment to stop the trade on drugs.