Punjab has been fighting a so-called “war on drugs” for years. Governments have changed, slogans have changed, and political promises have changed, but the drug menace appears to have remained stubbornly alive. Now, figures submitted by the Punjab government before the Punjab and Haryana High Court have exposed just how deep the crisis has penetrated.According to the government’s affidavit, 35,449 inmates are lodged in Punjab’s 25 jails, while 15,768 are registered with Out-Patient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) clinics. That means roughly 44.5 per cent of the prison population is registered for opioid-dependence treatment. Another report has mentioned the figure as 15,678, so the precise number should ultimately be taken from the final court record. Whatever the exact figure, the message is frighteningly clear: nearly every second prisoner in Punjab’s jails is receiving treatment for opioid dependence.
This is not merely a jail statistic. It is a reflection of Punjab’s wider social crisis.The government data becomes even more disturbing when the age profile is examined. A large proportion of those receiving treatment are between 18 and 45 years of age the very generation that should be studying, working, building businesses, cultivating farms, serving in the armed forces and supporting families.As the Punjabi saying goes: “Jithe jawani rul jave, othe kaum da bhavikh vi rul janda.” When the youth is destroyed, the future of the community is destroyed with it.
Punjab has traditionally been proud of its young people. Punjabis have built businesses across the world, served in armies, worked on farms and made their mark in almost every profession. Yet today, thousands of young Punjabis are appearing in official records because they need treatment for opioid dependence.This should make every political party, every government department and every responsible citizen stop and think.There is another bitter irony here. Punjab has been conducting anti-drug campaigns for years. Posters are printed, slogans are announced, meetings are held, raids are conducted and press conferences are organised. Yet the drug problem keeps coming back like an unwanted guest who has somehow lost the address of the police station.
“Nasha-mukt Punjab” cannot become merely a slogan printed on government banners.If the government arrests one drug peddler while another immediately occupies his place, the drug business has not been defeated. The salesman has simply been replaced.The real target must be the entire supply chain—the financiers, major suppliers, organised trafficking networks, facilitators and anyone who knowingly protects the illegal trade. The small-time addict or street-level peddler may be the most visible part of the problem, but the people making serious money from the drug trade are often much further up the chain.Punjab therefore needs to ask a much more uncomfortable question: Who is making money from this epidemic?
Arresting addicts is not the same as defeating the drug mafia. Treating addicts is necessary, but treatment alone cannot solve the problem. Rehabilitation is essential, but rehabilitation without employment and social support can easily become a revolving door.A young man can receive treatment inside jail, come out, return to the same village, the same unemployed environment, the same friends and the same availability of drugs—and relapse.“Leek nu sirf mitti naal dhak ke sadak nahi badaldi.” Simply covering a crack does not repair the road.The OOAT programme and medically supervised treatment are important because addiction is also a health and rehabilitation issue. But Punjab must measure what happens after treatment. How many recovering addicts remain drug-free after one year? How many after three years? How many receive counselling? How many obtain employment? How many return to their families successfully? How many relapse and eventually return to prison?
These questions are far more important than simply announcing how many people were registered for treatment.The government should also publish district-wise figures so that people can understand the geographical scale of the problem. Punjab needs transparent data on drug-related arrests, convictions, treatment, relapse, overdose deaths, rehabilitation and employment of recovering addicts.Otherwise, the government will continue counting arrests, while families continue counting dead bodies and ruined lives.There is also a dangerous tendency to treat addiction as the problem of the addict alone. That is too simplistic. Addiction affects parents, wives, children, siblings and entire communities. A single addicted young person can push an otherwise financially stable family into debt, emotional trauma and social isolation.
And behind every statistic there is a family story.A mother waiting for her son.A father selling property to pay for treatment.A wife watching the family income disappear.Children growing up without a stable parent.That is the real cost of the drug epidemic.Punjab cannot solve this crisis through police action alone. It needs a combination of strong enforcement against traffickers, accessible treatment, psychological counselling, rehabilitation, education, employment opportunities, family support and long-term monitoring after release from jail.Most importantly, the government must attack the money behind the drug trade. Follow the money, identify the assets, investigate financial networks and prosecute those who profit from addiction. If the drug business remains financially attractive, someone will always be ready to enter it.
There is a dark joke making the rounds of Punjab’s reality: the government keeps announcing a war on drugs, while the drug mafia keeps behaving as though it has received a permanent government contract.The joke is funny only until one realises how many families are paying for it.Punjab has also spent enormous political energy promising to make the state drug-free. Every government wants credit for being tough on drugs. But the real test is not how many speeches are delivered or how many photographs are taken with seized packets.The real test is whether fewer young people become addicts next year than this year.If the number keeps rising, the policy needs to be questioned.
If thousands are treated but thousands more become addicted, prevention has failed.If thousands are arrested but the supply remains abundant, enforcement has failed.If recovering addicts leave jail and return to addiction, rehabilitation has failed.And if the government knows all this but continues with the same approach, governance itself has failed.As another Punjabi line puts it:
“Gallan naal na Punjab bachna, kamm karna paina.”
Punjab will not be saved by words; action will be required.
The High Court revelations should therefore not become another two-day newspaper headline. They should trigger a comprehensive review of Punjab’s entire anti-drug strategy.The government should tell the people exactly how many drug-dependent prisoners are receiving treatment, how many successfully complete it, how many relapse after release, how many major traffickers have been convicted, how much illegal drug money has been seized and what concrete steps are being taken to prevent young people from entering the drug market.Punjab cannot afford another decade of slogans.The state has already spent years saying it will defeat drugs. Now it must show the results.Because the most frightening figure is not the number of prisoners receiving treatment.It is the fact that so many of them belong to Punjab’s young and productive generation.Punjab does not need another “war” announced from a podium.Punjab needs to win the war.
And the final question is painfully simple:
“Asi nasha karan waleyan da ilaaj karde rahange, jaan nasha Punjab tak pahunchan wala raasta hi band karange?”
Will we continue treating those who become addicted, or will we finally close the road through which drugs enter Punjab?
The future of Punjab’s youth depends on the answer.
Disclaimer: This article and accompanying images are for informational and illustrative purposes only. Some visuals may be AI-generated or digitally enhanced and may not depict actual events or persons.Views expressed are based on publicly available information and analysis