Pi Survey

Public Interest Lawyering
Project

A Survey on Substance Abuse among the Youth in India

Contents 1. Introduction 4 2. Statement of the Problem 7 3. Objective of the study 8 3.1. Broad Objective 8 3.2. Specific Objective 8 4. Methodology / Research Design 9 4.3. Statistical tools employed 10 4.4. Geographical Coverage 10 4.5. Unit of Data Collection 10 5. Findings 11 5.1. Pie – Chart No. 1 11 5.2. Pie – Chart No. 2 12 5.3. Pie – Chart No. 3 13 5.4. Pie – Chart No. 4 14 5.5. Pie – Chart No. 5 15 5.6. Pie – Chart No. 6 16 5.7. Pie – Chart No. 7 17 5.8. Pie – Chart No. 7 18 5.9. Pie – Chart No. 8 19 5.10. Pie – Chart No. 9 20 6. Conclusion 22 Annexure 24

1. Introduction

1.1 Overview The epidemic of substance abuse in young generation has assumed alarming dimensions in India. Changing cultural values, increasing economic stress and dwindling supportive bonds are leading to initiation into substance use. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) substance abuse is persistent or sporadic drug use inconsistent with or unrelated to acceptable medical practice. The picture is grim if the world statistics on the drugs scenario is taken into account. With a turnover of around $500 billion, it is the third largest business in the world, next to petroleum and arms trade. About 190 million people all over the world consume one drug or the other. Drug addiction causes immense human distress and the illegal production and distribution of drugs have spawned crime and violence worldwide. June 26 is celebrated as International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking every year. It is an exercise undertaken by the world community to sensitize the people in general and the youth in particular, to the menace of drugs. Today, there is no part of the world that is free from the curse of drug trafficking and drug addiction. Millions of drug addicts, all over the world, are leading miserable lives, between life and death. India too is caught in this vicious circle of drug abuse, and the numbers of drug addicts are increasing day by day. According to a UN report, one million heroin addicts are registered in India, and unofficially there are as many as five million. What started off as casual use among a minuscule population of high-income group youth in the metro has permeated to all sections of society. Inhalation of heroin alone has given way to intravenous drug use, that too in combination with other sedatives and painkillers. This has increased the intensity of the effect, hastened the process of addiction and complicated the process of recovery. Cannabis, heroin, and Indian-produced pharmaceutical drugs are the most frequently abused drugs in India. Cannabis products, often called charas, bhang, or ganja, are abused throughout the country because it has attained some amount of religious sanctity because of its association with some Hindu deities. The International Narcotics Control Board in its 2002 report released in Vienna pointed out that in India persons addicted to opiates are shifting their drug of choice from opium to heroin. The pharmaceutical products containing narcotic drugs are also increasingly being abused. The intravenous injections of analgesics like dextropropoxphene etc. are also reported from many states, as it is easily available at 1/10th the cost of heroin. The codeine-based cough syrups continue to be diverted from the domestic market for abuse. Drug abuse is a complex phenomenon, which has various social, cultural, biological, geographical, historical and economic aspects. The disintegration of the old joint family system, absence of parental love and care in modern families where both parents are working, decline of old religious and moral values etc lead to a rise in the number of drug addicts who take drugs to escape hard realities of life. Drug use, misuse or abuse is also primarily due to the nature of the drug abused, the personality of the individual and the addict’s immediate environment. The processes of industrialization, urbanization and migration have led to loosening of the traditional methods of social control rendering an individual vulnerable to the stresses and strains of modern life. The introduction of synthetic drugs and intravenous drug use leading to HIV/AIDS has added a new dimension to the problem, especially in the Northeast states of the country. Drug abuse has led to a detrimental impact on the society. It has led to increase in the crime rate. Addicts resort to crime to pay for their drugs. Drugs remove inhibition and impair judgment egging one on to commit offences. Incidences of teasing, group clashes, assault and impulsive murders increase with drug abuse. Apart from affecting the financial stability, addiction increases conflicts and causes untold emotional pain for every member of the family. With most drug users being in the productive age group of 18-35 years, the loss in terms of human potential is incalculable. The damage to the physical, psychological, moral and intellectual growth of the youth is very high. Adolescent drug abuse is one of the major areas of concern in adolescent and young people’s behavior. It is estimated that, in India, by the time most boys reach the ninth grade, about 50 percent of them have tried at least one of the substance of abuse nature. In last three decades, many epidemiological surveys have been carried out in India to assess the prevalence of substance abuse. The important finding of the various studies undertaken is that alcohol was the commonest substance used (60-98%) followed by cannabis use (4-20%). Epidemiological surveys also revealed that 20-40% of subjects above 15 years are current users of alcohol and 10% of them are regular or excessive users. In a rural population of Uttar Pradesh alcohol was found to be the commonest substance abused (82.5%) followed by cannabis (16.1%). Increase in incidences of HIV, hepatitis B and C and tuberculosis due to addiction adds the reservoir of infection in the community burdening the health care system further. Women in India face greater problems from drug abuse. The consequences include domestic violence and infection with HIV, as well as the financial burden. India has braced itself to face the menace of drug trafficking both at the national and international levels. Several measures involving innovative changes in enforcement, legal and judicial systems have been brought into effect. The introduction of death penalty for drug-related offences has been a major deterrent. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, were enacted with stringent provisions to curb this menace. The Act envisages a minimum term of 10 years imprisonment extendable to 20 years and fine of Rs. 1 lakh extendable up to Rs. 2 lakhs for the offenders. Comprehensive strategy involving specific programmes to bring about an overall reduction in use of drugs has been evolved by the various government agencies and NGOs and is further supplemented by measures like education, counseling, treatment and rehabilitation programmes. Substance abuse can be addressed at the individual level, at the local level (society, national, etc.) and at the cross-national level. At the individual level, there has to be a synthesis of biological understanding with the exploration of background socio-cultural factors. At the national and cross-national level, there has to be a concerted effort of all the countries in managing the issue of substance abuse, taking into account the local socio-cultural and political scenarios.

2. Statement of the Problem

“Substance Abuse among youth in India, the depth of the problem and its causes.”

3. Objective of the study

4.1. Broad Objective
To assess the depth of the problem of substance abuse among the college going youth and young professionals in India and its effects on the society.

4.2. Specific Objective
To find out the mindset and the outlook of the youth regarding substance abuse, the repercussions of the same on the abuser’s family and social circle, the extent of the problem when it spreads into the realm of law and breaking of law.

4. Methodology / Research Design

The research methodology or research design is an integral part of any survey and hence each and every aspect needs a special mention at this juncture. These are the very pillars over which the project is built – its thoroughness and accuracy depends on each one of these factors. The following are the various heads coming under research methodology.

5.3. Source

The source material for this project is primary in nature. We have collected the required information through a personal survey conducted among a 50 random college students and young professionals.

5.4. Method of data collection

Data may be obtained from either primary source or secondary source. Primary data means the data collected by an individual himself. Such data are original in character. Whereas secondary data is the data which are not originally collected rather obtained from published or unpublished sources. Data which are primary in the hands of one becomes secondary in the hands of another.

Due to the paucity of time we have restricted our survey to a total of 50 youngsters alone. Thus this is a sample based study. A sample study is one which studies a few units from the entire universe to draw conclusions of the whole of the universe. It is the process of learning about the population on the basis of a sample drawn from the universe – here the conclusions are drawn for the entire Universe, not just the sample alone.

A random all India survey in our opinion is representative of the universe [all the youth India] is adequate, independent and is homogenous. This is a judgment sample since the enumerators have exercised their judgment in selecting the sample. However, after selecting the sample we have conducted the survey among them. The annexure to this project contains the questionnaire that was made available to them for clarification or verification.

5.5. Statistical tools employed
We have used percentages and pie charts to represent the views of participants in this project.

5.6. Geographical Coverage
College students and young professionals all over India.

5.7. Unit of Data Collection
Before collecting data, the statistical unit must be clearly defined for the purpose of investigation. Statistical unit is the unit in terms of which the investigator selects the attributes for the enumeration, analysis and interpretation.
For the purpose of this study, the unit of data collection is an everyday student who attends college or is a young professional within the age group of 18 to 30 years. The entire study is based on this unit which is used to analyze several concerns and find possible solutions.

5. Findings

The findings arrived at after the completion of raw data collection are analyzed and represented below in the form of charts and tables.
The figures used in the pie chart have been found after scoring the questionnaire, giving 0.5 marks to each answer in the affirmative, leading to the inference of abuse of substances. This table below represents the degree of problem according to the score each surveyee has received.

SCORE | DEGREE OF PROBLEM | SUGGESTED ACTION | 0 | No problems reported | None at this time | 1-2 | Low level | Monitor, reassess at a later date | 3-5 | Moderate level | Further investigation is required | 6-8 | Substantial level | Assessment required | 9-10 | Severe level | Assessment required |

6.8. Pie – Chart No. 1

6.9. Pie – Chart No. 2

6.10. Pie – Chart No. 3

6.11. Pie – Chart No. 4

6.12. Pie – Chart No. 5

6.13. Pie – Chart No. 6

6.14. Pie – Chart No. 7

6.15. Pie – Chart No. 7

6.16. Pie – Chart No. 8

6.17. Pie – Chart No. 9

6.18. Tally of answers collected from the Questionnaires

Question Number | Answered in Affirmative | Answered in the Negative | 1. | 22 | 28 | 2. | 11 | 39 | 3. | 29 | 21 | 4. | 31 | 19 | 5. | 35 | 15 | 6. | 11 | 39 | 7. | 12 | 38 | 8. | 16 | 34 | 9. | 8 | 42 | 10. | 13 | 37 | 11. | 18 | 32 | 12. | 6 | 44 | 13. | 7 | 43 | 14. | 21 | 29 | 15. | 8 | 32 | 16. | 3 | 47 | 17. | 18 | 32 | 18. | 35 | 15 | 19. | 7 | 43 | 20. | 2 | 48 |

6. Conclusion

To conclude, it is evident that out of about 50 students and young professionals in the age group of 18-25 about 44% have, at least once, abused a substance. It is clear that stress depression are condition that affect the quality of life of a considerable proportion of young people and the elderly. From an individual perspective, depression might lead to social underperformance, violence, drug abuse and suicide in adolescents. The menace of depression can only be tackled if there is an effort streamed from all sides. Parental guidance, Talk therapy and Counseling or effective peer group interaction is just one way to tackle it. The problem can be nipped in the bud stage not only by the government initiative but also by the co-operation of various other sectors of the society. Awareness programmes by the government and the NGO’s is a way to raise awareness about this issue because in our country the general knowhow of the problem is very less and the major sector of the population, though is suffering from the same, has yet to know that they are suffering from depression or stress and not just an aggravated form of sadness.

7. References

Primary source – Data was collected through survey method and the sample questionnaire has been attached with this project an annexure.
Secondary source – Newspaper reports –
1. Indian Express on 27th July, 2011available at http://www.indianexpress.com/news/study-says-india-most-depressed-country/822950/
2. Times of India, 27th July, 2011 available at http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-27/india/29820227_1_depression-lifetime-income
3. DNA, 27th July, 2011 available at http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_indians-most-depressed-people-in-the-world-says-who-study_1570027

Annexure

Questionnaire 1. Have you used drugs other than for medical reasons? YES NO

2. Have you abused prescription drugs? YES NO

3. Do you abuse more than one drug at a time? YES NO

4. Can you get through a week without abusing any substance? YES NO

5. Are you able to stop yourself from abusing substances whenever you want to? YES NO 6. Have you had ‘Blackouts’ as a result of abusing substances? YES NO

7. Do your parents (or spouse) know about you abusing substances? YES NO

8. Have you neglected your family because of substance abuse? YES NO

9. Have you lost friends because of substance abuse? YES NO

10. Have you made new friends because of substance abuse? YES NO

11. Have you got into fights when under the influence of such substances? YES NO

12. Have you engaged in illegal activities to obtain such substances? YES NO

13. Have you been arrested for possession of illegal drugs? YES NO

14. Have you experienced withdrawal symptoms (felt sick) when you stopped taking drugs? YES NO

15. Have you had medical problems as a result of substance abuse?
(E.g.: Memory Loss, Hepatitis, Convulsions, Bleeding etc.) YES NO

16. Have you been involved in any treatment program specifically related to substance abuse? YES NO

17. Have you ever wanted to cut down the use of substance abuse? YES NO

18. Do you feel guilty for abusing substances? YES NO

19. Sometimes when I start drinking or taking drugs, it feels like something takes over and I get drunk or high without meaning to. YES NO

20. Was there an environmental catalyst that contributed to the substance abuse (i.e., a death, a divorce, a loss of some sort, etc)? YES NO

References: 1. Indian Express on 27th July, 2011available at http://www.indianexpress.com/news/study-says-india-most-depressed-country/822950/ 2 3. DNA, 27th July, 2011 available at http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_indians-most-depressed-people-in-the-world-says-who-study_1570027 Annexure