ISLAMABAD, May 22: Almost half of the drugs produced in Afghanistan are traded through Pakistan making it a primary transit victim in this regard.

More than 5,800 metric tons of heroin is produced in Afghanistan and 42 per cent of its total production is transported through Pakistan.

This was stated by Director-General (DG), Ministry of Narcotics Control, Mohammad Shahid, during an advocacy workshop on drug preventions organised here on Tuesday in collaboration with United Nations Office for Project Services (Unops).

Students, teachers, patients, doctors and policymakers participated in the event.

Mr Shahid said: “The treatment facilities for drug addicts are quite limited as health is a provincial subject and the provinces are hesitant to dedicate special wards for drug addicts in government hospitals. At the same time, the private drug treatment centres are quite expensive.” He also mentioned that the relapse rate of treated drug addicts was 90 per cent due to absence of universal treatment protocol.

He said the Ministry of Narcotics Control was about to finalise the universal protocol for treatment which would be mandatory for all government and private drug addicts treatment centre to adopt so that the best possible results could be obtained as far as treatment of drug addicts was concerned.

Secretary, Narcotics Control, Zafar Abbas Lak highlighted the key initiatives taken by Ministry of Narcotics Control in this regard.

He said the ministry had devised a programme ‘Community Leaders for Narcotics Control’, which included selections of community leaders from each district to facilitate and coordinate activities relating to drug control.

He said the ministry had already taken the organisations working in this field on board to reduce the drugs demand.

He told the participants that the ministry had already launched training for outreach workers, doctors and psychologists so that the experts could treat the addicts.

He maintained that lack of physical and extracurricular activities was leading youth to drug addiction.

In this regard, Ministry of Narcotics Control had been facilitating various sports activities and developing football grounds with the participation of local community in various areas of the country, he said, adding that the ministry would also organise a speech competition on June 7, 2012.

Dr Nadeemur Rehman, adviser to UNODC on drugs, and Dr Fareed Minhas, head of psychiatry department, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, also spoke on the occasion.