The news of shutting down of the only rehabilitation centre for drug addicts in Lohit district due to scarcity of government funding must have attracted attention of many. This centre had been functioning at the premises of  Zonal Hospital Tezu since July 2017 and during this short stint it had been instrumental in bringing as many as 350 drug addicts to the mainstream of normal life. The sudden closure is thus a bolt from the blue not only for the drug addicts themselves, but also for their hapless parents, relatives and well-wishers.
Drug and substance addiction has emerged as one of the biggest problem of country over last few decades and has in its sway millions of youth. From a mere law and order problem in the initial years during eighties it has now snowballed into a major social menace and despite all resistances from administration, non-governmental agencies, civil societies and a host of others who want its end, it has continued to torment the society by some ingenious way or the other. The most recent survey on consumption of substances in India conducted by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry in collaboration with AIIMS covering over 2 lakh households and 4.73 lakh people in 186 districts of the country in the age group of 10-75 years in all the 36 states and union territories has revealed some alarming figures. And the most chilling data seem to be the fact that India is home to six crore alcohol addicts, more than the population of 172 nations and more than 3.1 crore Indians are already under the grip of opium, bhang, ganja, charas and heroin as on 2018. But the most unfortunate aspect is that only one out of 20 drug addicts gets treatment at a hospital.
In Arunachal, fighting against drugs has been a very challenging one particularly in the backdrop of flourishing opium growth in a few districts. In the border districts, both drug abuse and cultivation problem had reached epidemic levels and the situation is disturbing given the state’s geographical proximity to the infamous golden triangle of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. This altogether has contributed to above 200% escalation of addiction cases since last five years in the eastern districts particularly in Lohit, Namsai, Anjaw, Longding and Tirap. 
Post addiction, the battle of de-addiction is always a long one requiring a continuous medication and the overall objective of having a drug free Arunachal can never be achieved without a comprehensive pan-state rehab mechanism.
It is high time not only to keep the existing centres running, but also opening  new ones, to keep alive the battle against drug abuse.  

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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