Latest news with #NationalSurveyonExtentandPatternofSubstanceUseinIndia
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Union government to launch fresh round of a nationwide survey to examine patterns of substance use
The Union government has started planning a fresh round of a nationwide survey to establish the extent and pattern of substance use, officials told The Hindu. This will expand on the 'National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India 2017-18', which was a first-of-its-kind study on estimating illicit drug use in the country. The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is currently in the process of finalising the formalities for it and the design for the survey is being readied, the official added. They said that the fresh round of the survey is likely to have a sample size that is 'three to four times' that of the one conducted in 2017-18 and that this round will try to gather patterns of substance use at the district-level. The 2017-18 survey on substance use had two components which were put together for the entire exercise. The first entailed a household survey, under which over 4.7 lakh people in about 2 lakh households across the country were sampled. This was followed by a respondent-driven survey (RDS), which specifically surveyed over 72,000 people with drug dependence, to account for the possible under-reporting of illicit drug use in the household survey. Atul Ambekar of the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, which led the exercise, explained that this method involved picking 20 people with drug dependence in each district. Each of the respondents is then asked to refer three other drug-dependent persons and the chain is continued till a satisfying sample size is achieved. The 2017-18 survey, which was the first time under-reporting was accounted for with the RDS method, had concluded that alcohol was the most used substance, with over 15 crore people estimated to be using it, of which around 30 lakh were estimated to be minors (between 10-17 years of age). This was followed by cannabis, opioids, sedatives, inhalants, cocaine, amphetamine type stimulants, and hallucinogens respectively, according to data from the survey presented in Parliament by the government. It is 'critical' to have data on substance use that goes beyond State-level to the districts so that interventions can be designed accordingly, an official said. The official added that from the health perspective, the fresh round will also be important to provide an understanding of how patterns of use are changing. Key meetings with stakeholders and representatives of State governments are likely to be scheduled in the coming months, the source added. While the previous survey had clubbed multiple similar substances under the same heading – such as cannabis (including ganja, bhang, and charas) or opioids (including heroin, poppy, and pharmaceuticals – experts have opined that it would also be important to see 'granular' data about which pharmaceuticals are being used and abused. Before the 2017-18 national survey, the last time a study was conducted on substance use was in 2004. But the methodology of this survey had become problematic as it had surveyed only men, its sampling had allowed for only national-level assessments, and it had relied only on household survey data. A comparison of data from the 2004 and 2017-18 surveys tabled in Parliament by the Social Justice Ministry showed that in the time between the two surveys the prevalence of use of alcohol and cannabis had gone down, but that prevalence of use of opiates and opioids had increased from 0.7% to 2.1% in the population.
Hindustan Times
12-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh: Alcoholics, not drug users, top GMCH de-addiction clinic charts
The drug de-addiction clinic of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, has been registering alcohol addicts more than those addicted to opioids for the last three years. Over 3,000 patients visit the clinic every year. The psychiatry department, which offers outpatient department (OPD), indoor and emergency services to the patients with substance use disorders (SUDs), has eight beds earmarked for patients dependent on drugs in its ward on the south campus. In 2022, the de-addiction centre's OPD saw 2,440 patients, of which 780 came for the first time. Among those 780, 295 patients were addicted to alcohol, 277 to opioid, 123 to nicotine and 39 to cannabis. In 2023, the number rose to 3,000 and 737 were the new ones, out of whom 287 comprised alcohol-dependent patients, 272 opioids, 103 nicotine and 34 cannabis. In 2024, the number further increased to 3,156. Of them, 900 were new patients out of whom 353 had alcohol problem, 280 opioid, 121 nicotine and 61 faced cannabis addiction. The other two categories with less number of patients were of multiple drug and solvent substance abuse. The patients dependent on alcohol are large in numbers because it is consumed on a large scale. Nationally, about 14.6%, i.e about 16 crore people (between 10 and 75 years of age), consume alcohol, according to a report of the National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India, released in 2019 by the ministry of social justice and empowerment. Out of these 16 crore people, the addicted ones were 2.9 crore. Dr Ajit K Sidana, head of the psychiatry department that runs the drug de-addiction clinic, said the number of patients in the OPD is increasing due to increased awareness. Dependency on alcohol has been seen more in patients above 45 years of age and opioids-cannabis dependence is mostly among those in 25-45 age group, added Sidana. Regarding the challenges, he highlighted that there is a paucity of long-term rehab facility in the city. In the inpatient service in GMCH-32, a patient is admitted for 2-3 weeks and the treatment primarily focus on detoxfication and relapse prevention. In some cases, long term rehab is needed where indoor, outdoor activities, gardening and other such facilities are required. However, the closed ward in the hospital is not feasible for long-term treatment, he added. The PGIMER too admits patient only for short-term treatment. Another challenge being faced by the faculty in dealing with drug dependent patients is the low rate of followups, Dr Sidana said. Almost 30-40% patients do not come for followup after their first and second visits to the OPD. 'Relapse is common in patients as leaving the addiction is a long term process and body needs time to resettle. It is significant if the patient is able to reduce the dependency on drug if not completely cut down the consumption,' he added.
