Over 16 crore consume alcohol, 5.7 crore addicted to it: Government

NEW DELHI: Replying to a debate on rising drug addiction among schoolchildren, social justice and empowerment minister Thawar Chand Gehlot said in Rajya Sabha on Thursday that over 5.7 crore people in the country were addicted to alcohol. The minister also said 72 lakh cannabis users and 77 lakh opioid users were addicted too and needed help.
Alcohol was the most co- mmon psychoactive substa- nce used by Indians followed by cannabis and opioids, said Gehlot. In his statement, in response to a calling attention motion introduced by BJP MP R K Sinha, Gehlot said over 16 crore people in the country consumed alcohol, around 3.1 crore used cannabis and about 77 lakh people took opioids.
Gehlot said the findings were part of a national household survey by his ministry in 2018. “The report establishes that a substantial number of people use psychoactive substances in India and the substance use exists in all the population groups with adult men bearing the brunt of substance use disorders,” Gehlot said, adding the government had allocated Rs 135 crore, four times more than the amount in 2014, for efforts to prevent drug addiction.
The survey also indicated that about 1.18 crore people between the age group of 10-75 years were taking sedatives and 77 lakh were using inhalants. Children and adolescents were found to be using inhalants more than others.
Gehlot said the government is also conducting a survey in ten cities across the country to assess the pattern and profile of substance use among school and college students.
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References

1. ^{^} Thawar Chand Gehlot (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
2. ^{^} Rajya Sabha (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
3. ^{^} cannabis (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
4. ^{^} opioid (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

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