Punjab losing battle against drug addiction, says study

CHANDIGARH: Punjab has lost the battle against drug addiction even before it has begun, a study by All India Institute of Medical Sciences ( AIIMS), Delhi, has indicated. It will take more than 10 years for the state government to provide even a single episode of treatment to addicts if it continues with the current strategies, the survey by the institute’s National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre says, painting a grim picture of the days ahead.

A single episode of treatment is a standard course of treatment ranging from a minimum of four-to-six weeks to six months where the patient is given opioid substitution treatment (OST) that involves medication like methadone or buprenorphine to help him wean away from drugs. The study points out that Punjab does not have OSTfor the patients as a widely available therapy on a long term basis.


"There is a huge gap in the availability of treatment services for opioid dependent individuals despite significant demand. OST is the most evidence-based treatment modality which has been endorsed by United Nations and World Health Organisation as well as the Indian Psychiatric Society. In Punjab, less than 10% of patients have received OST ever," says the study.

The survey, commissioned by the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment in August 2015, has in fact ridiculed the approach by the Punjab government, saying that it is only focused on rehabilitation centres.

"If the treatment strategies remain focused on only treatment admission to a de-addiction centre, it will take about 10 years to provide a single episode of treatment to the entire opioid dependent population in the state," it said.

It further says that many drug dependent individuals are trying to give up but not many are receiving help from the government. "Our survey indicates that while as many as 80% of opioid dependent individuals have tried to give up, only about 35% have received any help," it says.