HYDERABAD: “Do you have Charlie? I want to score, so keep it ready.” Puzzled? For most of us this one-liner would hardly make any sense but for some it is their favourite one. This line is frequently used by none other than the coke-snorting Janata of the twin cities while placing an order for the ‘stuff’ from drug peddlers. “Charlie” here means cocaine and “score” is the code word to experience it.
It is no secret that cocaine users in the city include people from different strata and sections of society and the alarming fact is this dangerous trend is on the rise. If arrests of Nigerian drug peddlers shows one side of the coin, the other side of the story needs to be unfolded, of the drug users.
One such youngster, 25-year-old Ajay (name changed), hails from an affluent family. This frequent party animal was first introduced to cocaine by his group of friends two years ago. “A few of my friends were already hooked on to it but I never tried it. Finally, I gave in to the temptation after my friends forced me to try and even I wanted to experience it.” But the self-imposed one-time experience did not end there. He has now become a regular user of cocaine and snorts it mainly on the weekends.
“Though everyone knows its bad to do drugs, its that experience which pushes me to try it again and again. Whenever I take it, I can feel the rush of blood inside my body. It is like being transported to a different world,” he said. Ajay procures the drug from a Nigerian peddler and also confides that the drug is easily available and usually arranged within a few hours notice.
According to cocaine users, 1 g of cocaine is available anywhere between Rs 3,700 to Rs 6,000, depending upon the availability and demand of it. Out of each gram of cocaine, 15 to 25 lines can be drawn. A user usually snorts anywhere between 1 to 5 of these lines, depending upon how ‘high’ he or she wants to get. This activity usually takes place either in homes, resorts or farmhouses. Surprisingly, most of the cocaine drug peddlers are Nigerians operating from the areas of Masab Tank and Sainikpuri.
Having been a DJ for many years and playing at various clubs, John (name changed) is someone who has observed the social scene of the city quite closely and was constantly exposed to the drug culture. “When I started off as a DJ, drugs usage was an alien concept and rarely did we come across regular users. But now things have changed. Right from a teenager to a richie-rich industrialist to Tollywood stars do not mind doing drugs, some even openly. It has become a part of the ‘hep culture’,” he informs.
Not all drug users are hooked to cocaine as another favourite are Ecstasy pills. These pills, also known as MDMA are a popular party drug but a little difficult to procure. “Ecstasy pills usually come in different colours and fancy names. One pill costs anywhere between Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 and is enough to take us into a ‘trip’ that our mood is in. Its effects last for a few hours, and the person’s energy levels shoot up to a high. It is also true that the next day, we are completely drained out and tired,” chips in Raj (name changed), a regular Ecstasy pill user and a student. He got hooked on to the drug thanks to his trip to Goa where he first tried it. According to him, Ecstacy pills are usually brought from Goa and sold here.
Other drugs like opium and morphine are less preferred and cost Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,500 per gram. The most widely used drug not only in India but worldwide happens to be marijuana or ‘ganja’. Though it is categorised as a banned substance, this weed is easily available like chalk in the city. Even doing a Google search for it can lead us to the place where one can get this drug. The clock tower in Secunderabad and the bylanes of Dhoolpet are however the favourite spots to get the ‘pure stuff’, which costs about Rs. 100 for a palm-length packet.
rahul.d@expressbuzz.com