Illicit drugs most definitely are a global problem. From the farthest reaches of Africa, to the middle east and of course here in western civilization, all societies have a problem with drugs. The Punjab region of India is a textbook example.

According to ndtv.com, in this village not far from the Pakistani border, drug addicts like Pargat Singh are crouched in the shadows, injecting themselves with cocktails of synthetic drugs. 

Many o9f the decrepit buildings act like “crack houses” where cracked prescription bottles littered the ground. The other man jabbed a syringe into his arm and injected a blend of prescription drugs that delivers a six-hour high.

Singh knows he is in God’s waiting room and continues to inject his body with lethal chemicals. He is both HIV positive and stricken with tuberculosis. They share needles.

Throughout the border state of Punjab, whether in villages or cities, drugs have become a scourge. It affects children as young as grade-schoolers. Opium is prevalent, refined as heroin or other illegal substances. Schoolboys sometimes eat small black balls of opium paste, with tea, before classes. Synthetic drugs are popular among those too poor to afford heroin.

How Bad is the Problem in Punjab?

The scale of the problem is undeniably immense and worrisome. India has one of the world's youngest populations, a factor that is expected to power future economic growth, yet Punjab is already a reminder of the demographic risks of a glut of young people. An overwhelming majority of addicts are between the ages of 15 and 35.

The Punjab government is aware of the problem and is just trying to figure out how to deal with it.

Private drug treatment centers, some run by quacks, have proliferated across the state, and treatment wards in government hospitals have seen a surge in patients. Three years ago, a state health official warned in a court affidavit that Punjab risked losing a whole generation to drugs. Roughly 60 percent of all illicit drugs confiscated in India are seized in Punjab.

Buying Votes

India's Election Commission said that some political workers were actually giving away drugs to try to buy votes. More than 110 pounds of heroin and hundreds of thousands of bottles of bootleg liquor were seized in raids. During the elections, party workers in some districts distributed coupons that voters could redeem at pharmacies.

Meanwhile, Singh and many others continue to ruin their lives with drugs. India needs to step up and start educating its public on the dangers of drugs. The government needs not to distribute drugs, but help keep them out of the public’s hands. Drug education classes and other resources are necessary to right the ship.

Drugs are a global problem. In no place is it more prevalent than Russia.

As reported in the New York Times, it is common knowledge that illicit drug use in the Russian Federation has reached critical proportions. It is also common knowledge that people who use drugs are among those most at-risk of infection with H.I.V. And it is common knowledge that since the beginning of the H.I.V./AIDS epidemic three decades ago simple tools such as Medication Assisted Therapy (methadone, buprenorphine) and clean needle-exchange services have proven very effective in decreasing drug abuse and reducing risk of infection with H.I.V., Hepatitis C and other diseases.

Russians Shoot Up

Russia has one of the world’s highest levels of injecting drug use. There are almost 2 million injecting drug users, and over 1.6 million opiate users. The number of HIV users has grown from 100,000 people to over a million in the last 10 years in Russia. Today there are over 1 million, and injecting drug users represent some 78 percent of all H.I.V. cases in the country.

This means that more than one third of all injecting drugs users are H.I.V.-positive — with peaks at three-quarters in some cities — and three-quarters of them are also living with the Hepatitis C virus. The human cost is devastating, and the social fallout is appalling: Russia now accounts for two thirds of the Eastern Europe and Central Asian H.I.V. epidemic, the fastest growing in the world.

Russia restricts such measures as needle and syringe exchange programs. The new National Drug Strategy proclaims a “zero-tolerance” approach to drug use in a country that already incarcerates enormous numbers of young people for substance use — and does so without drug treatment for those who need it.

These policies fuel poor treatment, discrimination and vulnerability to disease among drug users. They are contrary to WHO and U.N. recommendations, and go against the “E.U.-Russia Roadmap on the Common Space of Freedom, Security and Justice,” which emphasizes the principles of nondiscrimination and respect for human rights. They also contradict the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on H.I.V./AIDS and the 2006 Political Declaration on H.I.V./AIDS, both of which have been signed by the Russian Federation.

Yet the policies implemented by the Russian authorities have resulted in desperate situations for most of the people who use drugs in the country.

Russia’s national policies have driven drug use underground, and only made people who inject drugs harder to reach — with only 25 percent of them having access to anti-retroviral treatment. Drug offenses now account for 20 percent of the prison population.

Russia has the means to enshrine health as a human right. Combination prevention is the future. For injecting drugs users, this means clean needles and syringes, Medication Assisted Therapy for those who want drug treatment, and access to anti-retroviral therapies for all H.I.V.-positive drug users. That combination works.

The country cannot stop trying to educate and rehabilitate their drug users. Nobody wants to stay addicted to drugs. Nobody wishes their addiction on their children or those they care about. Russia must continue to provide drug classes and work toward reducing use.

What comes to mind when you think of women in Saudi Arabia? I bet drug addiction is not one of the images you imagined.

According to a director of the anti-drug department (who knew Saudi Arabia even had one) the country’s women are becoming victims of drug abuse.

Brig. Gen. Abdullah Al-Jameel said women were victims of abuse in most drug cases registered by his department. They have become victims of drug abuse after being lured into it either by their husbands or any one of their relatives who are drug addicts or traffickers. Among women, those who are employees or have a fixed income are more susceptible to drug abuse.

Al-Jameel also pointed out that the drug mafia was flourishing following the recent political turmoil and turbulence in the neighboring Arab countries. Drug smuggling and trafficking is considered a major crime in the Kingdom, where offenders may receive the death penalty if convicted.

While underscoring the fact that Saudi Arabia is one of the main targets of drug traffickers, the official reaffirmed that the Kingdom has the potential and capability to confront any challenges posed by the international drug mafia.

There is no doubt that mafia activities flourish when there is political turmoil or instability in any country. The government is working toward combating the trafficking.

Al-Jameel claims The Kingdom is a main target of drug gangs.

A majority of women inmates at prisons in the Eastern Province are those who have been detained in connection with immoral and drug related cases. In most drug cases registered there were women who had become victims of exploitation either by their husbands or any of their relatives. This is more obvious in the case of women with employment or financial resources. There are also some cases in which women are misused as drug carriers.

Sometimes it is interesting to see that drug abuse is a global problem. Without much knowledge of the Arab world and day-to-day activities you ten to stereotype the region as sober. Hopefully the Saudi government will hold drug classes and try to educate the public on the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Obviously the threat of punishment or death is not working.

Source: http://arabnews.com

With drug use and abuse at epidemic proportions in the world who will finally help get a handle on this growing problem? Could it be Sir Richard Branson? Why not Sir Richard Branson?

He is an uber-intelligent man who has succeeded in many different avenues. Lately, the billionaire tycoon has been using his talents to help fight drug abuse.

Sir Richard Branson is a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. He is becoming very vocal in his belief that the government should change its attitude towards drug abuse.

Branson’s view is that the government should look drug abuse as a health problem rather than looking it as a criminal offence.

Drug abuse in the UK is increasing like a wild fire and by making it a health issue, it will encourage experts to come forth and help addicts to give up their ill habit.

Portugal Leading the Way

I know that looks absolutely ridiculous. When was the last time Portugal led the way anywhere? Probably seven hundred years ago.

Branson believes the UK should follow Portugal. When it was suffering from the same issue, they changed their approach towards drug abuse and took it as a health issue, due to which the number of drug addicts dropped by 50% in the country.

All the methods which the UK has taken till date to overcome drug abuse have flopped. So, it may be time to try Branson’s method to bring down the increasing number. One of the things that could be done is to introduce some new guidelines like low-level street dealers could be spared jail.

What do you think? I am all for more drug classes to find a remedy for our planet’s current addiction to chemical substances. I would like to learn more about what Portugal did.

It is always nice when a celebrity uses their powerful personality and charisma to help make society better. We need more positive role models for our children. Filipino rapper Juan Carlos Salcedo is just such a guy!

The Hong Kong-based Filipino rapper sang to a roused audience during the World Revolution Music Festival or “Revfest.” according to the inquirer.net.

The annual music festival aims to fight drug abuse and promote awareness of the dangers of drug use.

The 23-year-old Salcedo displayed his own brand of entertainment as he delivered Christian songs in rap, a wide departure from the conventional gospel music genre.

Salcedo represented the Philippines for this year’s festival, which was joined also by singers from Brazil, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Macau.

The positive messages coming from Salcedo are especially prescient as Hong Kong and Macau have serious concerns over increasing incidents of drug use especially among the youth. There are also increasing cases of drug trafficking into the territories with the involvement of some Filipinos, the latest being in Hong Kong with a Filipino caught with 26 kilograms of heroin.

Hopefully there will be more Christian and other celebrities that promote sobriety. Keeping our youth off drugs is a key to the future success of life as we know it.

Drug addiction is quite prevalent among the world’s prostitutes. For whatever reason, a huge percentage of them are drug users. Jamaica is having a terrible time right now.

As reported in the Jamaica Gleaner, simmering beneath the surface of Jamaica's illicit sex trade are melancholy tales of drug abuse as local sex workers have turned to ecstasy - the party drug - to cope with the physical and psychological rigors of their job.

A retired prostitute said many use the party drug known on the street as 'X' to alter their persona.

The use of ecstasy by prostitutes compounds Jamaica's 'new' drug problem as earlier this year it was revealed that a shortage of medication containing pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in many cold and flu medicines sold in Jamaica, is being linked to the illegal manufacturing and sale of methamphetamine (commonly called meth).

It is a powerful stimulant that alters the functions of the central nervous system, and pseudoephedrine, it is believed, is being used to 'cook' the hard drug meth.

Ecstasy is a cousin to methamphetamine, because both of them are from the amphetamine class and both drugs have pseudo ephedrine as a precursor.

Ecstasy usually takes the form of a small tablet but it packs a whack. It is a drug that makes you feel close to everybody and your guard comes down.

Other Jamaican prostitutes have resorted to strange concoctions that include energy drinks and other uppers just to make it through their nightly 'ordeal'.

Ecstasy use can produce psychedelic and stimulant side effects such as anxiety attacks, tachycardia, hypertension and hyperthermia. Addiction, high blood pressure, heat stroke and kidney failure are also linked to ecstasy use.

Drug addiction is a serious issue. I can only imagine what goes through the minds of the Jamaican prostitutes and can understand their need to transform themselves into something different. But ecstasy and other drugs are not the answer. As many of the women admit, they do the job because they have kids at home and they need to be fed. A good drug class would educate them on why not to use these substances.

If you needed one more reason not to start taking crystal meth how about this – it can increase your chances of suffering from schizophrenia.

According to psychcentral.com, researchers in Toronto, Canada have found evidence that heavy methamphetamine users might have a higher risk of developing schizophrenia.

This finding was based on a study comparing the risk among methamphetamine users not only to a group that did not use drugs, but also to heavy users of other drugs.

Methamphetamine and other amphetamine-type stimulants are the second most common type of illicit drug used worldwide.

People hospitalized for methamphetamine dependence that did not have a diagnosis of schizophrenia or psychotic symptoms at the start of our study period had an approximately 1.5 to 3.0-fold risk of subsequently being diagnosed with schizophrenia, compared with groups of patients who used cocaine, alcohol or opioid drugs. 

They also found that the increased risk of schizophrenia in methamphetamine users was similar to that of heavy users of cannabis (marijuana).

Researchers examined California hospital records of patients admitted between 1990 and 2000 with a diagnosis of dependence or abuse for several major drugs, including methamphetamine, cannabis, alcohol, cocaine or opioids. They also included a control group of patients with appendicitis and no drug use. The methamphetamine group had 42,412 cases, while cannabis had 23,335.

There has been a longstanding debate as to whether there is a connection between methamphetamine use and schizophrenia. In Japan, experts believe that methamphetamine might cause a schizophrenia-like illness, based on their observations of high rates of psychosis among methamphetamine users admitted to psychiatric hospitals.

Drugs are bad. Nothing good can come from the use of illicit drugs. If you or someone you care about has a drug problem, please seek help. If you prefer to maintain total anonymity, there are online drug classes too.

Drug addictions come in many forms. Caffeine is an addictive drug. Drinking 42 liters of Diet Coke per week is an addiction problem! Following is a real-life story that you don’t see every day.

Darren Jones knows he needs rehab to cure a bizarre addiction to diet cola. The 38-year-old knocks back 42 liters of the drink every week.

Now the 500-pound father of two is vowing to get treatment for his $150 a week habit to get fit again and save his relationship with 33-year old mother of two Paula Mullen.

Darren, of England, panics when he gets too close to running out of diet pop. He rarely leaves the house due to his size and relies on his wife to pick up the voluminous amounts of soda.

One of the reasons he has not gone to rehab yet is the heavy cost. You would think in a European country with socialized medicine you would be able to get affordable treatment for any addiction.

Darren has been downing the equivalent of 18 cans a day for the last 10 years after he started drinking Diet Coke as a 13-year-old boy.

He was eventually diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure and found it hard to move about and lost his job as a taxi driver in 2007.

His friends even pay him in Diet Coke’ for gas money.

He admits he has to have at least six liters a day, more in the summer, and buys the two or three liter bottles because they are cheaper.

Diet Coke is sweetened with the artificial sweetener aspartame and contains caffeine. Too much of either of these chemicals may cause harm. I would advise trying to cut down on the amount he drinks but not stopping suddenly.

I hope he is able to kick the habit. Perhaps taking an online drug class will get him started on understanding the nature of addiction. He should begin weaning himself off the Diet Coke ASAP.

Fewer and fewer Hollywood films glorify drug use. When I was a kid I thought Jeff Spicoli was the coolest guy on the planet. Sean Penn instantly became my favorite actor!

Now with movies like Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” and television shows like AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” drug use and abuse is not shown in a positive light.

Now comes a powerful short film “Our Scene” to help warn youngsters of the consequences of taking drugs.

The English-language film was presented at the University of Macau, followed by a lecture on drugs with the presence of specialists and families from neighboring Hong Kong.

The short film was shot in Macau with a group of young volunteers – none of them a drug abuser – and it will be distributed for free to local schools and associations.

The film is a bit tragic because it ends with the end of a young character but the message is powerful - to get across is that a whole life can be ruined by drugs.

The film also helped launch a fund raising campaign for its ‘Be Cool’ project. The ‘Be Cool’ centre is open daily with after-school activities, for Macau’s youth aged above 12 years. It focuses on drug prevention, through music, arts, cooking, sports, games, among others activities.

Since opening in March, over 200 youngsters have already joined the ‘Be Cool’ activities. It’s a way to broaden the horizons of the youth so that they might have healthy alternatives to the lack of leisure spaces.

According to official data, the number of people arrested for drug abuse fell by 27.1 percent year-on-year in the January-September period. In addition the number of registered youth drug users also dropped by 42 in the first half of this year.

Drug addiction is a global problem. It is nice to see the awareness out there to try and educate all citizens about the dangers of substance abuse!

As with just about everything on the planet earth these days, the problem of substance abuse is truly global!

A recent report by Kenya’s Ministry of Education showed deep concern about active sex, drug and substance abuse among the youth in high school. The group has vowed to take urgent corrective measures to contain the situation.

The findings reflected the reality, as a similar survey had been conducted by the ministry in 2009. The government being aware of the dangers that alcohol and drug abuse poses to the individual and society has put in place measures to check and regulate the supply and use of substance in the country.

The report showed that the cases of drug abuse are rampant in schools, and attributed them to risky sexual behaviors, which have resulted in a surge of unplanned pregnancies. They also are experiencing cases of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/Aids and other infections among the youth in schools.

Poor academic performance has been blamed on alcohol and substance abuse, and the practice contributes to numerous cases of students dropping out of school

Cases of student unrest coupled with violence and criminal behavior, rape, and death in schools have been on a steady increase in the recent past, a situation that has been blamed on among other reasons drug abuse.

The Ministry has worked hard to provide enhanced capacity buildings of teachers through the guidance and counseling programs, where at least one teacher in every school has undergone training on drug abuse.

Substance abuse is a universal problem. Kenyans, with a lack of Internet infrastructure do not have the enhanced benefit of most Americans which is to take a good online drug class.