Present scenario of Substance Abuse in Nepal

Bijay Raj Pandey (Chairperson)
Recovering Home

Drug use is a serious and growing issue in Nepal, affecting mostly young people under 30 years old. The annual growth rate of drug users in the country was 5.06 percent from 2013 to 2020. Cannabis, tranquillizers, and opiates are the most popular drugs among Nepali users. Drug abuse has a negative and severe impact on the socio-economic aspects of Nepal.
The government of Nepal conducted a survey in 2020 and found that there were 1, 30,424 drug users in the country. Out of them, 93.3 percent were male and 6.7 percent were female. The majority of drug users (76.2 percent) were under 30 years old (Ministry of Home Affairs, 2020). Cannabis was the most preferred drug, followed by tranquillizers and opiates. There was also a low but increasing number of people who used methamphetamine and other recreational drugs. The survey also revealed that the mode of drug use had shifted from smoking/ingesting to injecting, which increased the risk of HIV infection and other blood borne diseases. These data indicate that drug abuse is a major problem in Nepal that harms the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities 1 . There are many factors that lead to drug abuse, such as peer pressure, recreation, curiosity, stress, poverty, lack of education and awareness, etc. There are also many challenges and barriers that hinder drug users from accessing treatment and rehabilitation services, such as stigma, discrimination, criminalization, lack of resources, etc.
The government of Nepal and various non-governmental organizations have been trying to address the issue of drug abuse and provide support and care to drug users. Some of the actions they have taken include: conducting surveys and research to gather data and evidence on drug use; developing policies and laws to control drug supply and demand; implementing harm reduction however, these efforts have been “too late and too little”.

Recommendation:

 Enhancing the quality and coverage of drug treatment and rehabilitation services; Ensuring the human rights and dignity of drug users; involving drug users and their families in the design and implementation of interventions; strengthening the coordination and collaboration among different sectors and agencies; mobilizing more resources and support from national and international partners.

References

Ministry Of Home Affairs. (2020). Nepal Drug Users Survey 2076

1 This brief description of Substance abuse is solely from the personal experience working in the field of demand reduction in Recovering Home, Lamatar, Lalitpur, Nepal.