Mapping the Size of Child Drug Use

Worryingly, the age of drug abusers has continued to decrease, so that it is not unusual to find even six-year-olds inhaling and sniffing a variety of toxic chemicals to go on a ‘high’ to escape the drudgery of their lives and the trauma of broken homes. It is the most marginalised and vulnerable sections of society living in unhealthy shanties, on the pavements or under bridges that get drawn to finding solace in drugs.  

It is the easy availability of low-cost chemicals and over-the-counter prescription drugs that makes these substances popular among members of this underclass. None of them can afford to buy smack and other expensive mood-changing drugs such as cocaine, morphine and ephedrine combinations.  

The three inhalants in common use include ‘puncture solutions’, thinners (that remove ink and paints) and whiteners and nail polish removers. Puncture solution is a whitish paste sold in tubes and used to repair tyre punctures. Most of the inhalants are highly toxic and can lead to drug dependence. Their long term effects, if used regularly, involves organ damage, diminished brain function, memory loss, poor attention span, mood swings and assorted problems that in terminal cases are irreversible. The common mode of administration is to rub a small portion of the substance onto a piece of cloth and hold it close against the mouth and nose for inhaling the fumes.

A recent assessment at the SPYM’s treatment centre at Delhi Gate found that around 25 per cent of the 100 children in treatment were aged 8-12 years and the others 18-years-old.

Although the exact number of drug users in Delhi is not known it reasonable to suggest that it would be in thousands. Tracking them all down would require a systematic and scientifically robust household survey, including interviews with people living in areas where addicts are wont to congregate. A mapping exercise to estimate the size of drug use among street children, supported by the government’s Department of Women and Child Development, has found that up to 240 million children in India aged 10-19 years could be on drugs. This accounts for 20 per cent of the total child population in India. It is believed that around 18 million children live and work on the streets, and according to one estimate more than half of them use one or more substances. However, as we said these are only estimates, owing to the fact that most of these population groups are largely hidden, and a considerable number of those who are discharged tend to relapse, sometimes within days, due to lack of comprehensive aftercare.  

Relapse is now recognised as part of the journey towards full recovery. Returning to an environment where there is strong social support from families and friends is an asset for any drug-dependent person requiring sustained post-treatment assistance. For many who are caught up in the fringes of society, living uncertain lives in unstable households, and crushed by grinding poverty, the challenges are numerous. One solution would be to encourage expanding societal engagement to address these public health issues, and ensuring that a large, trained and dedicated workforce is encouraged to join the battle.

There must simultaneously be a strong legally enforceable regulatory mechanism to make sure that chemicals and medicines classified as legal substances are sold to only legitimate buyers. All purveyors of these substances must be made to strictly regulate the sale of these products or face stiff financial penalties and possible de-registration – a measure that is still waiting to be imposed.

A recent survey found that adults reporting for treatment were introduced to drugs in their pre-teens, and that over 13 per cent of those dependent on drugs were under 20. The same study found that use of thinners, whiteners, opium, alcohol, cannabis and propoxyphene was widespread.  Also, drug counsellors have noted a significant spike in the increased use of “a cocktail of drugs through injection, and often sharing of needles.” Such behaviour enhances the risk of HIV infection.

A recurring problem in India is the lack of community sensitisation about drug use and preventive education programmes about drug use in schools or for children leaving school. Currently there is no national substance use policy in place to tackle these issues. Charging children under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 has largely proved to be counter-productive in the absence of professionally managed aftercare facilities. What is needed is to block all access to cheap substances such as cough syrups, pain relief ointments, glues, paints, gasoline and cleaning fluids. As of now India has only a few health centres capable of comprehensively addressing child substance use problems, and all are in the urban areas.

It is not only illegal drugs that are of concern, but also tobacco which is widely used throughout the country. The leaves in the tobacco plant contain nicotine – the main drug found in tobacco that is highly addictive.  

Finally, it is not just lack of awareness but also social responsibility at the street level that compounds the problem. Says a pavement tyre puncture repairer who asked for anonymity: “Last month I saw a boy hovering around here. When I had finished my work one tube was missing. I am quite sure this boy pinched it.” Asked whether he would report the matter to his parents if he knew where he lived the man said, “Why would one do that? These are smackies, you don’t want to get involved with them. It’s for their parents to stop them. I’ll sell it to anyone who pays for it. What they do with it is not my business.”