SINCE at least the 1980s, Pakistan has been grappling with the menace of drug addiction. But a recently released report illustrates just how grim the situation actually is. According to Drug Use in Pakistan 2013, compiled by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and Pakistan’s ministry of interior and narcotics control authorities, 4.25 million Pakistanis are “drug dependent”. While cannabis is the most commonly used drug, there are over a million opiate users in the country. What is more, the report points out that the abuse of prescription drugs is common, especially amongst women. Though we have been aware of our drug problem for several decades, this is perhaps the most comprehensive effort to portray the depth of the problem, as well as suggest its solutions. Partly geography and partly negligence are to blame for the silent epidemic of drug addiction in Pakistan. The UNODC estimates that 40pc of drugs produced in Afghanistan (heroin and charas) are routed through Pakistan; while most of this supply is meant for onward ‘export’, a significant amount finds its way onto the Pakistani street, especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Another issue that needs attention is that acetic anhydride, a chemical used legally in the textile industry, is also used to convert morphine into heroin and has been known to illegally be diverted to manufacture narcotics.

The data contained in the report must be used by the state to thrash out a comprehensive policy that addresses the smuggling of illicit drugs into Pakistan as well as their onward trafficking. Meanwhile, much greater effort needs to be made to rehabilitate addicts. Islamabad must take up the issue of drug smuggling with Kabul while internally, there must be greater vigilance of trafficking routes, especially in Balochistan and KP. Considering the scope of the problem, the rehabilitation infrastructure is wholly inadequate to cope with the number of drug-dependent persons. The UN report points out that treatment facilities exist for a mere 30,000 people. It adds that 76pc of opiate users wished to get clean, but lack access to centres or do not have enough funds to get help. More facilities are needed, especially in the public sphere, to help those who want to kick the habit.