Report on Magnitude of Substance Use in India

Why in news?

The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment recently released the 'Magnitude of Substance Use in India' report.

What is the report on?

It is based on a survey conducted by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) under the AIIMS, Delhi.
The survey was sponsored by the ministry of social justice and empowerment.
It covered general population (10-75 years) in all the 36 states and union territories.

What are the highlights?

Alcohol/Liquor - India is home to 6 crore alcohol 'addicts', and there are 16 crore people who consume alcohol.
Nearly 1.6% women and 27.3% men in the country use alcohol.
The consumption level is very high among the male population and many fall in the age bracket of 18-49 years.
Also, 1.3% of children (ages 10-17) are alcohol users, as opposed to 17.1% in the 18-plus age group.
States with high prevalence are Chhattisgarh (35.6%), Tripura (34.7%), Punjab (28.5%), Arunachal Pradesh (28%) and Goa (28%).
Among women, states with the largest prevalence of alcohol use are Arunachal Pradesh (15.6%) and Chhattisgarh (13.7%).
Among children, a high prevalence was found in Punjab (6%), West Bengal (3.9%) and Maharashtra (3.8%).
Country liqour (Desi Sharab) accounts for 30% of the total liquor consumption.
Indian made foreign liquor (spirits) also account for the same amount.

Drugs - More than 3.1 crore Indians (2.8%) have reported using cannabis products (Bhang, Ganja, Charas, Heroin and Opium) in last one year.
At the national level, Heroin is most commonly used substance followed by pharmaceutical opioids, followed by opium (Afeem).
Cannabis consumption is higher than the national average in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh and Delhi.
In Punjab and Sikkim, the prevalence of cannabis use disorders is considerably higher (more than thrice) than the national average.
Sedatives and inhalants - Less than 1% or nearly 1.18 crore people use sedatives, non medical or non prescription use.
Strikingly, its prevalence is high among children and adolescents.
Addiction of children is more prevalent in U.P, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi and Haryana.
At national level, there are 4.6 lakh children that need help against the harmful or dependence over inhalants.
Injection of drugs - 8.5 lakh people in the country inject drugs.
Users of opium-based drugs report high incidence of injecting drug.
A large number of these drug users report risky injecting practices.
It is more prevalent in U.P, Punjab, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur and Nagaland.

How accessible is the treatment?

In general, access to treatment services for drug or alcohol addicts are grossly inadequate.
Nearly one in five alcohol users suffers from dependence, and alcoholism is a condition that requires medical attention.
But only less than 3% of the people with drinking problem get any treatment in India.
Only one person in 38 alcohol addicts is getting any treatment, and one in 180 addicts is getting inpatient treatment at a hospital.
72 lakh of 'other drugs' users are addicted to them, but only one in 20 drug addicts seems to be receiving in patient treatment for drug addiction.

Source: Financial Express, Indian Express