Youth today is high on Life. That actually does not mean that they are enjoying their life to the fullest and making choices that they do not regret, but it means they are completely enjoying their life by substance abuse. The adolescents feel that it’s cool to be intoxicated in any means; these are the choices that they make and make their lives miserable. In a country like India where drugs are not legal, yet it is surprisingly easily available and people tend to use it and make it a part of their life. Despite the consequences that are known to everyone they use it and ignore the fact that they are dealing with their lives and future in the end.
This is a vicious cycle that not only affects an individual but society as a whole. The future of the nation is at stake. Out of 66% people who are engaged in such practises of selling or intake of such substances, more than half of them are the youth of our country, or we can say the potential human resource our country is expecting to be the future of the nation.
Introduction
The drug abuse by youth in our country has created an alarming situation. The people using such substances are not only risking their future but the future of our country as well. Cannabis, heroin, alcohol, opium and Indian produced pharmaceuticals are commonly abused drugs in India. The modernisation has bent the individual against the traditional methods of social sensibility by making them vulnerable to the environment they grow in, the stress and strains of modern life pull them to differ from their own personality and force them to make decisions that are not good for the long run. Drugs are the third largest traded substance after petroleum and arms. To show the resistance and the sensitivity of drug abuse 26th June is celebrated as International pay against drug abuse.
Earlier the drugs were abused by only the people who belonged to the high-income group, but as the modern culture developed, the abuse of such substances grew with a pace such that today in every group of 20 children two of them can be found using heroin or cannabis. Drug abuse covers the whole society, not just the abuser. The internet or technology might not reach to the remote areas of the country but the substance can. A lot of people in our country use drugs as their religious demands, they call it religious sanctity. This may normalise the use of drugs in their upcoming generations. The International Narcotics Control Board, 2002 came up with the research where they said that Indians consume from opium to their own choices like heroin or other drugs.
A large number of people need help as their life choices have been adulterated by the drugs they use; it has affected them to the core. They have risked their lives on the ship that is going to sink and only those who can afford to have life jackets are saved, someone will have to provide them with the risk and protective factors that ensure their youth to be full of potential, healthy and productive in a way that is not only beneficial for the country but also for themselves. the society and the nation to reap. Drug abuse is not just caused by anything; a lot of aspects are involved that are social, cultural, biological, geographical, historical and economic.
Consequences of Drug Abuse
The youth is said to be the future of any country, they have a potential to be productive in a way to add positive gains to our country, despite knowing this fact, a lot of them make some wrong choices some due to peer pressure because they want to get a validation among their friends, some because of religious purposes, some get depressed due to workload and other because they come across some life crossroads which they don’t know how to deal with. These life choices may cost them leaving some serious consequences or impact upon their peaceful and normal life. The consequences can be classified into four major categories:-
- Social consequences
When the young and adolescent population of the country indulge themselves into drug or substance use they lose their power of decision making and end up making choices that can cost them their fortune. They do not realise the consequences of their acts, which is going to leave a huge impact on society. Young generation using drugs will increase the crime rate at a great pace; they might want to steal money for buying more drugs, they will not be able to judge their own decisions. Their family members may face difficulties with society and also with handling the drug abuser in a way to make them sober again. The mental trauma felt by them is tremendous. This can also cost them their education by letting them waste their academic opportunities. The drugs once consumed tends to fail the capacity of risk analysis of a person which leads them to commit serious crimes such as violence, car accidents, assaults, STDs while they exchange injections or tuberculosis in that case, rape etc. It also cost the person his development, learning or social relations. It is beyond our criminal justice system to understand such crimes. Along with the family, the person is working, his work environment gets distorted. The drug overuse by the young generation might cause us to lose the human capital capable of working towards a good societal environment
- Economic consequences
There are some economic consequences too, when youth are engaged in such drug abuse they are least capable to become a human resource adding up to the GDP or the development or growth of the country. They lead the country to bear losses which could have been a productive addition to the growth. Moreover, the government has to bear the costs of channelizing their funds for establishing the rehabilitation centres for them to sober up, and this not only affects the government but it also lever an economic liability on the shoulders of the family as they have to bear the cost for their admission in the rehabilitation centres. It is the cycle of economic liability getting transferred to one and then the other element of the society be it government, the users family or their friends or guardians. There are huge economic costs involved in disturbing the vicious cycle coordinated by the drug supply sector and the drug demand sector to clean up the country to be as productive as it could have been if the drugs were not used by the abusers in the first place.
- Legal consequences
Beyond the socio-economic consequences, there are legal consequences also, once the person is engaged in using drugs on a daily basis they either consume them in very huge quantities or they become dealers. The excessive use may lead them to commit heinous crimes they wouldn’t have committed at the first place if they were sober. This makes them liable for the crime after which their whole life becomes miserable. Intoxication is a defence but only if it is involuntary. The young generation does not realise how serious this all is in the long run. For those who become dealers or consume drugs on a daily basis if they get caught, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (1985) and the Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (1988) becomes applicable on them. They are charged according to the rules mentioned in the legislation.
If the quantity of the drugs found is less than a kilogram he is liable to be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to 6 months, or with fine which may extend to ₹10,000 or with both; and if the quantity lesser than commercial quantity but greater than small quantity, with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years and with fine which may extend to ₹1 lakh; and is caught with the commercial quantity, with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 10 years but which may extend to 20 years and shall also be liable to fine which shall not be less than ₹1 lakh but which may extend to ₹2 lakh.
- Psychological consequences
When an individual consumes substance that is not identical to the body, the body reacts in its own way to handle such things. Drugs are known for disturbing the physical and intellectual growth among the teenager and the youth. It affects the brain’s ability to function in the short run and also degrade the proper growth and development of his later life. Drugs also interfere with the neurotransmitters which generally reduce the ability of the brain to figure out the experience of pleasure, and create problems with the memory, inhibiting development or perceptual abilities. This affects the psychological state of a person making him or her vulnerable to making wrong choices and decisions as they are not able to put together the facts of a situation and think about it before going for something.
Conclusion
Drug abuse by youth is an indication of high-risk behaviour. This not only creates a huge impact on the coming generation but it affects most of the country. Even the United Nations organisation is strict with drugs and prohibits drug abuse. For any country to walk the path to become a developed nation its youth must be aware of its duties towards their contribution to it, rather they are found involved in drug abuse, drug trafficking.
Indian legislations are there to stop the use of drugs to an extent but in my opinion, there should be such deterrent techniques to avoid the youth of our nation to indulge them into drugs. And rather they will deter them from making choices that are beneficial in the long and short-run both. Only youth of our nation can decide the fortune of our country if they want to step together with all the other arenas to make it a developed country or they can just go for simple choices, use drugs for their short term needs and come up with उड़ता इंडिया in the end.