DRUG ABUSE IN PAKISTAN

UNODC Country Office Pakistan Representative Cesar Guedes and Mian Zulqarnain Amir Joint Secretary Narcotics Control Division launched the Drug Use in Pakistan . The report reveals a substantial proportion of Pakistan’s population aged 15 to 64 suffer from the devastating consequences of substance abuse. The Report estimates that six per cent – or 6.7 million adults in Pakistan – used drugs in the previous year. The majority of drug users in this study fell between 25 and 39 years of age. Although 4.25 million individuals are considered to be drug dependent, treatment and specialist interventions are in short supply, available to less than 30,000 drug users a year. Of these drug users 80% were men and 20% were women, who were less likely to have received drug treatment then men. Moreover, not all structured treatment is free of charge. In a country where almost a quarter of the population is estimated to be living on less than US$ 1.25 a day, the barriers preventing access to structured treatment are exceptionally high.Cannabis was found to be the most commonly used drug in Pakistan, with by 3.6 per cent of the adult population, or four million people, listed as users. Opiates, namely opium and heroin, are used by almost one per cent of overall drugs users.