Continuous rise in use of narcotics, addiction-related deaths highlighted

FAISALABAD: Well integrated and collaborative efforts are imperative to minimize addiction related deaths and Hometown Community Foundation (HCF) has embarked upon an ambitious project to involve all stakeholders to observe World Anti-Narcotics day on June 26, 2022 in a most befitting manner. Expressing concern over continuous increase in use of narcotics and proportionate hike in number of deaths particularly during Covid-19, he said that perpetrated unemployment has pushed more than 20 million individuals below the poverty line.

Dr Maqsood Ahmad of HCF said that geographically Pakistan is situated in a region where opium, morphine, marijuana, hemp and other deadly sedatives are freely available to the potential consumers of narcotics. Quoting data from the UN office on drug and crimes, he said that Pakistan has 6.7 million drug users and we must pool our energies to bring it down to the minimum level.

He said that government agencies, academic institutions and community leadership are making solo flights to curb this menace which is the main cause of our failure to hit hard on the core issue and reign in this most ticklish social problem of this century.

He said that HCF has launched a project to enjoin the psycho-socio-economic efforts at one platform with dedicated sincere and energetic activists to penetrate deep into the vulnerable segments and drag out addicts through dispensation of multidimensional treatment coupled with socio-economic solutions.

Dr Maqsood was optimistic that the HCF has so far arranged a number of productive and result oriented events to contain the addiction but NGOs working on this subject must pool their energies to weed out this menace from the Pakistani society.

Dr Maqsood Ahmad is a pain management psychiatrist settled in Virginia and now he intends to contribute toward a drug free society particularly in Faisalabad and Pakistan. He appreciated the efforts of Prof Dr Imtiaz Ahmad Dogar, President Pakistan Psychiatric Society and said that HCF has launched a series of online meetings to achieve the objective of drug free society. In this connection, he particularly appreciated the key role of Saleem Bulandia Former Director Social Welfare, Muhammad Athar and his team.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022