Weed addiction on an alarming rise

Weed (also known as marijuana or cannabis) is a banned drug in India, except when it is used for medical purposes.
Selling, buying and consumption of the same is illegal and punishable, but Nagpur youngsters seem to be turning deaf ears to this as many of them are resorting to smoking weed for getting high. The weed consumption among the city youth has increased heavily in the past few years and what's shocking is the fact that for a drug which is illegal, weed is very easily available at many places in the city.Nagpur Times tells you about the cause and effect of the increase in the weed abuse among the city youth.
Rise in users
According to Ravi Padhye, Director, Maitree de-addiction and rehabilitation centre, the users of weed in the city have increased substantially in the past few years. He says, "The definition of happiness has changed for youngsters. The high, which weed gives is happiness for them. A lot of enquiries are made at our centre by the families of the young weed addicts, and we are already treating some of them for the same.” Dr Shreyas Magia, a psychiatrist, who deals with substance-addicted patients on a regular basis, says, "Of late, I have been treating a lot of youngsters, who have got hooked to weed. The youngest patient I have treated is 18 years old. It's shocking to see juveniles consuming marijuana, repercussions of which are really disturbing." Rajat Arora (name changed), a party planner in the city, says, "Youngsters are into weed like never before. It has become sort of 'a way of life' for many. Recently, when I organised a party in the city, I kept bouncers at the entrance, especially to ensure that people don't bring any drugs to the party. While, the bouncers confiscated around 10-15 cigarettes stuffed with weed, some youngsters, somehow, still managed to bring it inside the venue and were later seen smoking the same. These included a few girls too."
Easily available
In certain circles, it is a well-known fact that the weed is easily available at many places in the city. While on April 1 Nagpur police seized 42 kgs of marijuana from an auto rickshaw at Kharbi Road on April 11, 10 kgs of marijuana was seized from a pan kiosk at Tajnagar Teka. Kishor Laxmanrao Supare, senior inspector, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) cell, Nagpur, informs, "Overall, the police and NDPS have already seized marijuana worth `15 lakhs till now in 2014, which is way more than 2013, where the drug worth `8 lakhs was seized in the entire year." According to our sources, most of the weed in Nagpur is brought in from Orissa. Earlier, only big smugglers were bringing the drug in the city, and then they would distribute it among the limited small time peddlers here. But the proliferation of peddlers in the city has thrown a daunting challenge to the police. Of late, many small-time operators (mostly poor and uneducated) have got into drug peddling in the city. As they are always on a lookout for new addas to sell weed, it's become difficult to nab them.
Reasons more than one
One of the basic reasons why weed is thriving heavily is because it's way cheaper than other drugs. Explains a 21-year-old college student, Alok Ghosh (name changed), "Weed bought for `100 can easily be shared by four people and it can give quite a good kick. Plus, it does not give a hangover like alcohol." Dittos Sachin Rai (name changed), a 26-year-old interior designer, as he says, "I smoke weed almost regularly and it's really affordable as compared to alcohol. I used to drink a lot earlier, but now I prefer just weed." Alok reveals that many students consume weed during exams more as they think that it speeds up their learning process. Aren't these youngsters scared of getting nabbed by the police while buying and consuming weed? Alok audaciously answers, "People drink and drive, they get arrested; that doesn't stop them from doing it. Similarly, it's a thrill for me, which I enjoy. In my view, personal consumption of marijuana should be legalised in India"
Loss of a healthy life
Doctors opine that the weed smoking youth of Nagpur is approaching a dangerous future as smoking weed can result in several disorders like hormonal changes, depression, insomnia, etc. Dr Shreyas says, "Smoking weed can affect physical and mental health severely. It can result in delusions and hallucinations. Recently, I treated a 21-year-old boy. He told me that he sees Sai Baba, who is instructing him to do certain things in his life. It took me one month to bring that kid out of those hallucinations." Pratap Soni (name changed), a 22-year-old student of an engineering college, while remembering his life as a marijuana addict, says, "I was heavily into weed for atleast a year. I got so addicted to it that I couldn't sleep or eat in the night, until I took a drag or two. During that time, I lost a lot of weight and my overall personality became quite dull. My addiction earned me a lot of disrespect among my friends. A person I knew died when he tried to smoke weed through his nose and that made me so scared that I left it completely. But, I'm still striving hard to deal with the severe repercussions the weed addiction had on my health."
Weed peddling addas in the city
Momimpura
Tajbagh
Meetha Neem Dargah
Lakadganj
Pratap Nagar
Panchpaoli
Kalamna