Summary:
CHANDIGARH: More than 42 lakh persons in Punjab are in need of help for their dependence on various types of substance abuse. In the category of people who inject drugs (PWID), Punjab is at number 2 and Haryana at 5. Punjab has earned the disrepute of ranking at rank 1 with 6% children reporting alcohol abuse. Even in the case of cannabis, 3.5 lakh persons need treatment in Haryana, which is ranked 7 on this count out of the 36 states and Union Territories in India. Punjab is at rank 2 in India, while UP with a total population of more than 20 crore having 10 lakh persons in the need of help for opioid is at the top.What should set the alarm bells ringing for the region is the fact that Haryana is at number three with 5.9 lakh out of its total 2.8 crore population in need of help..