Aizawl:A spurt in the seizure of heroin has brought renewed attention to the drug’s increasing popularity here.
Fuelled by the decline in supply of abused pharmaceutical drugs like spasmo-proxyvon and parvon-spas, more and more drug users have turned to heroin, which is cheaper and easier to get. Majority of drug abusers in Mizoram had preferred spasmo-proxyvon, parvon spas and other prescribed drugs, as they used to be cheaper.
“Now it is the reverse. Now heroin is three times cheaper than spasmo-proxyvon or parvon-spas. Besides there is great shortage of supply of these abused prescribed drugs after the Indian government banned them in 2013,” a social worker said.
Heroin is smuggled into Mizoram from Myanmar with which the state shares an unfenced 404-kilometre border. In a span of two decades – from 1984 till August 7, 2013, Mizoram recorded 1,241 deaths because of drugs abuse.
Out of the total number of deaths, 1,114 were males and 127 females. As per the Mizoram Excise & Narcotics Department (END) data, the drugs which caused maximum number of deaths are spasmo-proxyvon and parvon-spas.
Altogether 1,131 people had died abusing this drug of which 88 had died because of heroin. (UNI)
