Drug abuse and its medical implications, - How long N.E states in particular Manipur will face it?

Kolkata Watch - XVI : Drug abuse and its medical implications, - How long N.E states in particular Manipur will face it? By: Satya Gopal Dey Prior to 1980, drug abuse was not widely known to different to N.E states, in particular Manipur. M.Amarjeet Singh in one of his article published in Manipur online (October 19, 2003) mentioned, "Manipur, which has an international border of about 350 kilometres with Myanmar, became the victim of international drug smuggling as the notorious traffickers found the route through this point of international border as a soft route. With national roads leading directly to nations of the "Golden Triangle" of Southeast Asia, drug trade and abuse is widespread especially in India's north-eastern state of Manipur. This is further complicated by the rise in HIV/AIDS among young drug users. The major forms of addiction in the beginning were mild tranquilizers and methaqualone, followed by inject-able morphine and pethidine. In due course of time, heroin locally known as Number 4, became the most widely used drug among the young drug users, and heroin addiction reached the explosive stage in 1984 (AIDS ALERT, 2001). Besides it, drugs like spasoproxybone, ganja, alcohol, phensedyle, opium, cough syrup, nitrazepam, detroproxythene and buprenorphine have also being abused. Generally, the young drug users started taking drug, orally either by smoking or inhaling and in due course of time switched over to injection in which they shared unhygienic injecting equipments like needles and syringes. Easy availability of heroin and other illicit drugs are solely responsible for high addiction rate in the state. In addition, pharmaceutical drugs are also easily available to the youngsters. In the same web article Mr. Amarjeet Singh also mentioned available data, though contradictory, indicate an estimated 40,000 drug addicts in the state, of which 20,000 have been reported to be Injecting Drug Users (IDUs). However, one report by UN-AIDS put the number of Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) to around 40,000 (Frontline, August, 2.2002). Study conducted jointly by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MSJ&E) Government of India and United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP) in 2000-01 found that out of the 308 drug users interviewed in Imphal, the capital city of Manipur, the proportion of Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) were 92 per cent; of which 10 per cent abusers were females; all of them were literate, of which 24 per cent were college educated drug users; 61 per cent were unemployed; 71 per cent were heroin users and 23 per cent have tested HIV (MSJ&E and UNDCP: 2002)." There are several socio economic context and vested interest for helping the situation rise in to the worst extent. If no one is concerned in truest sense the state will witness different negative implications in the lives of many youth in particular. Some of the implications are as follows. Individuals who suffer from addiction often have one or more accompanying medical issues, including lung and cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, and mental disorders. Imaging scans, chest x-rays, and blood tests show the damaging effects of drug abuse throughout the body. For example, tests show that tobacco smoke causes cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, blood, lungs, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, and cervix. In addition, some drugs of abuse, such as inhalants, are toxic to nerve cells and may damage or destroy them either in the brain or the peripheral nervous system. Drug abuse and mental disorders often co-exist. In some cases, mental diseases may precede addiction; in other cases, drug abuse may trigger or exacerbate mental disorders, particularly in individuals with specific vulnerabilities. Beyond the harmful consequences for the addicted individual, drug abuse can cause serious health problems for others. It is likely that some drug-exposed children will need educational support in the classroom to help them overcome what may be subtle deficits in developmental areas such as behaviour, attention, and cognition. Ongoing work is investigating whether the effects of prenatal exposure on brain and behaviour extend into adolescence to cause developmental problems during that time period. Second-hand tobacco smoke, also referred to as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a significant source of exposure to a large number of substances known to be hazardous to human health, particularly to children. According to the Surgeon General's 2006 Report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, involuntary smoking increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer in never-smokers by 25-30 percent and 20-30 percent, respectively. Injection of drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine accounts for more than a third of new AIDS cases.Injection drug use is also a major factor in the spread of hepatitis C, a serious, potentially fatal liver disease and a rapidly growing public health problem. Injection drug use is not the only way that drug abuse contributes to the spread of infectious diseases. All drugs of abuse cause some form of intoxication, which interferes with judgment and increases the likelihood of risky sexual behaviours. This, in turn, contributes to the spread of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Following details will give some more highlights of negative effect of different drugs. Nicotine is an addictive stimulant found in cigarettes and other forms of tobacco. Tobacco smoke increases a user's risk of cancer, emphysema, bronchial disorders, and cardiovascular disease. The mortality rate associated with tobacco addiction is staggering. Tobacco use killed approximately 100 million people during the 20th century and, if current smoking trends continue, the cumulative death toll for this century has been projected to reach 1 billion. Alcohol consumption can damage the brain and most body organs. Areas of the brain that are especially vulnerable to alcohol-related damage are the cerebral cortex (largely responsible for our higher brain functions, including problem solving and decision-making), the hippocampus (important for memory and learning), and the cerebellum (important for movement coordination). Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit substance. This drug impairs short-term memory and learning, the ability to focus attention, and coordination. It also increases heart rate, can harm the lungs, and can cause psychosis in those at risk. Inhalants are volatile substances found in many household products, such as oven cleaners, gasoline, spray paints, and other aerosols, that induce mind-altering effects. Inhalants are extremely toxic and can damage the heart, kidneys, lungs, and brain. Even a healthy person can suffer heart failure and death within minutes of a single session of prolonged sniffing of an inhalant. Cocaine is a short-acting stimulant, which can lead abusers to "binge" (to take the drug many times in a single session). Cocaine abuse can lead to severe medical consequences related to the heart, and the respiratory, nervous, and digestive systems. Amphetamines, including methamphetamine, are powerful stimulants that can produce feelings of euphoria and alertness. Methamphetamine's effects are particularly long lasting and harmful to the brain. Amphetamines can cause high body temperature and can lead to serious heart problems and seizures. Ecstasy (MDMA) produces both stimulant and mind-altering effects. It can increase body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and heart wall stress. Ecstasy may also be toxic to nerve cells. LSD is one of the most potent hallucinogenic, or perception-altering, drugs. Its effects are unpredictable, and abusers may see vivid colours and images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but do not exist. Abusers also may have traumatic experiences and emotions that can last for many hours. Some short-term effects can include increased body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure; sweating; loss of appetite; sleeplessness; dry mouth; and tremors Heroin is a powerful opiate drug that produces euphoria and feelings of relaxation. It slows respiration and can increase risk of serious infectious diseases, especially when taken intravenously. Other opioid drugs include morphine, Oxy Contin, Vicodin, and Percodan, which have legitimate medical uses; however, their nonmedical use or abuse can result in the same harmful consequences as abusing heroin. Prescription medications are increasingly being abused or used for nonmedical purposes. This practice cannot only be addictive, but in some cases also lethal. Commonly abused classes of prescription drugs include painkillers, sedatives, and stimulants. Among the most disturbing aspects of this emerging trend is its prevalence among teenagers and young adults, and the common misperception that because these medications are prescribed by physicians, they are safe even when used illicitly. Steroids, which can also be prescribed for certain medical conditions, are abused to increase muscle mass and to improve athletic performance or physical appearance. Serious consequences of abuse can include severe acne, heart disease, liver problems, stroke, infectious diseases, depression, and suicide. Drug combinations. A particularly dangerous and not uncommon practice is the combining of two or more drugs. The practice ranges from the co-administration of legal drugs, like alcohol and nicotine, to the dangerous random mixing of prescription drugs, to the deadly combination of heroin or cocaine with fentanyl (an opioid pain medication). Whatever the context, it is critical to realize that because of drug-drug interactions, such practices often pose significantly higher risks than the already harmful individual drugs. In the concluding statements I would like to mention t that the contents that is reflected in this article is definitely not the newer one to the people of Manipur, but through this instalment of Kolkata Watch I once again wanted to say "No to drug" in the particular context of Manipur. http://classic.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=kshow&kid=1365&Idoc_Session=1b22ddd2873ef8925aed15a52b69a133