RAWALPINDI, Feb 15: Federal Minister for Narcotics Control Ghous Bux Mahar has stressed making concerted efforts by all sections of the society to save the coming generations from drug addiction.

He was speaking as chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of a two-day workshop, 'The Role Women in Drug Abuse Prevention', organized by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF).

Prevention begins at home under the guidance of parents and families, and requires the support of schools, colleges, universities and communities, the minister said. Women can also help prevent drug abuse by sitting down with their children and talking to them openly about the dangers of narcotics, he said.

Mr Mahar said criminals and drug barons were continually introducing new techniques for spreading drugs, making it difficult to totally eradicate the menace. He called for raising awareness among the public about the curse of narcotics. The ANF has accepted the challenge of launching a war against drug pushers and smugglers with utmost commitment, he said.

Pakistan, he said, was a victim as its land was being used as a transit route for drug trafficking to the Middle East, Europe, America and other countries. He said a neighbouring country was producing 75 per cent of the total narcotics being produced in the world with horrendous spill-over effect on Pakistan.

ANF Deputy Director-General Niaz Ahmad Siddiqui gave details of the number of addicts, various commonly-used drugs and their overall effect on the society. He said out of about half-a- million drug addicts in the country, Punjab had the highest number, 242,245, followed by Sindh with 162,305 addicts.

The NWFP has 55,707 drug addicts, while Balochistan has 38,743. Accordingly, the province-wise percentage was Punjab 48 per cent, Sindh, 32 per cent; NWFP, 11 per cent; and Balochistan nine per cent.

Mr Niaz said majority of the drug users were between the ages of 15 and 45 with the mean age being 30, whereas 44 per cent of them were employed and 56 per cent unemployed.

He said these addicts are vulnerable to various fatal diseases. About 89 per cent of them tested positive for Hepatitis C, 23 per cent for Hepatitis-B, 14 per cent for Syphilis and 0.7 per cent for HIV.

The different kinds of drugs available were heroin, cannabis (charas), alcohol, opium, psychotropic, cough syrups and solvents. Tobacco is the most commonly used, he said. Mr Niaz said pure heroin was not available, and drug manufacturers mixed it with impure and even poisonous materials, making the drug even more injurious to health.

Psychologist Bushra Syed highlighted various reasons, including social and economic problems, which led people to addiction. She stressed on establishment of more entertainment facilities, reducing poverty and creating employment opportunities.