Drug Addiction On Decline In Srinagar As ‘Heroin’ Prices Rise

Majid Nabi

Srinagar: The number of drug addicts in Srinagar has declined due to a drop in the availability of "Heroin," a highly addictive opioid substance derived from morphine that majority of substance abusers snort and inject in this summer capital, health experts claimed.

Another factor influencing the decline in substance abuse amongst youngsters in the summer capital, they claimed, is strict monitoring of identified drug hotspots and the crackdown against the drug peddlers.

Intravenous (IV) drugs are the drugs of choice for the majority of substance abusers in Srinagar, after the priciest but most lethal substance known as ‘heroin’, price of which has doubled in the last one year.

Besides, they linked the decrease in the number of drug addict’s and admissions at drug de-addiction facilities to the ongoing district-wide awareness initiatives, indicating the administration's commitment to combat the threat.

Noted psychiatrist and professor at the Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (IMHANS) at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, Dr.

Yasir Hassan Rather said that 728 patients were admitted to the facility in 2023—which is more than 50 percent of the total patients admitted there in 2022.

“The number of drug addicts in Srinagar is declining, and the district's decreased heroin supply is to be credited for the dip. The majority of substance abusers consume heroin in Srinagar, which has a gram cost of Rs 6000,” Dr Yasir told Kashmir Observer.

Dr Yasir said the drug-abusing

population is primarily composed of individuals between the ages of 25 and 35, with fewer women consuming drugs in Srinagar

“All the patients have received effective care, and the rate of recovery has also been satisfactory. It now relies on whether a person having received treatment will resume drug addiction or give it up. The environment in which we live also has an impact,” said Dr Yasir.