HYDERABAD: Nobody, not even a 12-year-old, is safe from the menace of drugs as illegal narcotics, especially ganja, have become easily accessible to the youth.
“Call it curiosity or peer pressure, but many youngsters have started consuming drugs and by the time their parents start noticing a change in their behaviour, it is late,” Dr VS Gideon, a de-addiction therapist, told TNIE.
He shared that most often, young kids are introduced to marijuana by their school seniors at events like parties or sleepovers. “It initially starts as a cool trend for teenagers. But when they get lured by the drugs, their brain seeks more ‘high’ and they start exploring other drugs too,” Dr Gideon added.
The kids start by consuming marijuana once a week but it soon increases to once a day and before long, they start ‘smoking up’ multiple times a day. Over time, they move to weed oil, which is a concentrated form of ganja, or other chemical drugs. However, it is much more difficult to procure the oil than the dry ganja, he added.
The problem with teenagers consuming drugs is that their parents are not likely to suspect them in the early stages. “When it comes to marijuana, normal people (those who do not know about drugs) cannot notice a different smell or anything suspicious. So people think they can get away (with consuming ganja) as it is not easy to notice,” the therapist said.
Speaking to TNIE, a senior police officer said the students in the 18–25 age group are targeted the most by drug suppliers. However, he pointed out that even Class 8 students can procure ganja. In this regard, the police and the Telangana State Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TS NAB) have instructed educational institutions to establish anti-drug committees to control the situation on campus.
Due to their busy schedule, often parents tend to find out about their child’s drug habit only when they start showing drastic behavioural changes, shared Dr Gideon. “If the parents reprimand or scold their kid over their drug use, the child, in turn, blackmails them saying that he or she will leave the house. They get aggressive and rebellious, after which the parents come to us,” he said.
There was a case where a 14-year-old child had been addicted to marijuana for two years before his father took him to a de-addiction centre. “This happened because the initial signs were ignored. Parents should play a more active role in monitoring the behavioural patterns of their teenagers,” he shared.