Mizoram News: 74 people died due to drug consumption this year
Aizawl: 74 people, including 12 women, have died in Mizoram due to drug abuse since January this year, with heroin being the main killer, said Peter Zomingthanga, spokesperson of the state excise and narcotics department.
Zohmingthanga said the number of drug-related deaths this year is the highest in the last 19 years. The highest number of drug-related deaths was seen in 2004, when 143 people died. That year, 132 people died after taking two painkillers, 6 due to heroin use and 5 after taking other clinical medicines.
The age of people who lost their lives due to drug addiction is between 14 to 58 years.
According to department records, since 1984, when the first heroin-related death was identified, the number of drug-related deaths was 1,810, including 219 women. Only in 1986 were no drug-related deaths reported.
While all victims from 1984 to 1989 were heroin users, the 1990s saw an increase in drug-related deaths as two major painkiller brands entered the state, resulting in a large number of youth taking prescription drugs. Were killed. The highest number of deaths due to consumption of both drugs was recorded in 2003, when 133 out of 136 people died.
There were no deaths due to heroin abuse in 1993, 1994, and 1995 because all deaths were due to abuse of the two painkillers.
The increase in drug-related deaths created a public outcry, resulting in the Central Committee of the Young Mizo Association (YMA) launching a large-scale war on drugs through community policing. Although the war on drugs resulted in human rights violations across the state, the number of drug-related deaths declined to 42 in 2005, compared to 143 the previous year.
After the Center banned the manufacturing and sale of both the drugs, no deaths due to both the drugs were recorded from 2017 till date.
At least 239 people have died in the state due to heroin abuse since 1984, while 1,161 have died due to abuse of the two painkillers. A total of 410 people died after taking other medicines.
