ByJW?#K?T?11 ' 'SS'H. or un ,f"tosv IN INDIA AND ITS TREATMENT: CHOPRA ?) March, 1935] DRUG ADDICTION 12V S?/j5? economic and health points of view. In this paper it is proposed to give a brief review of the work done by this inquiry. Original Articles The problem of drug addiction in India presents many features which are widely different from those met with in western AND DRUG ADDICTION IN INDIA ITS countries and about which a great deal of mis- TREATMENT apprehension exists in Europe and America. The habitual use of drugs of a stimulative and By R. N. CHOPRA, c.i.e., M.A., mj). (Cantab.) restorative character was prevalent in India LIEUTENANT-COLONEL, I.M.S. probably before they were used in any of the Professor of Pharmacology other countries of the modern world. The juice Research Fund ' (Drug Addiction, Inquiry, Indian of the soma plant' was a favourite drink of Association No. 21) Series the Aryan settlers and was regularly taken by them many centuries before the Christian era. Introduction ' What exactly the soma plant' was, is Although in India drug addiction has not known, though a number of plants, such as existed on a more extensive scale than in any Cannabis sativa, Ephedra Asclepias other vulgaris, country in the world with the exception acida, have been implicated. During the Hindu of China little known the or perhaps is regarding period, i.e., up to the 8th 9th century A.D., problem. Two were commissions appointed to alcoholic beverages were used by the people as go into the of matter at the end the last well as the preparations made from hemp drugs. century; a Royal Commission was appointed in These produced not only a sedative effect, but 1893 to enquire into the prevalence of the opium also brought about euphoria in the form of habit, and a commission to go into the question pleasant dreams, forgetfulness and, it would of was the Govern- hemp drugs appointed by also appear from the writings of that period, ment of India in 1895. Both these commissions voluptuous satisfaction. Opium and poppy collected important information regarding the were introduced on the west coast about the prevalence and effects of these drug habits in a 9th century A.D. by the advent of the general way, but unfortunately the medical and Mohammedan traders, and opiates soon came scientific were aspects of these addictions not into use. A study of records shows that during inquired into fully at that time. Nearly forty the period of the Moghul Empire, alcoholic years have elapsed since these commissions beverages, opiates and hemp drugs were freely did their work. Considerable changes have used. A decoction made from poppy capsules occurred and new come drug habits have into known as koknar was extensively used all over being, yet a perusal of the literature shows that India, and is used to the present day in parts very little work has been done on this important of the Punjab. A beverage containing wine, The even subject. information available with opium, Indian hemp and poppy capsules, known to regard the present-day incidence of the drug as chaharbargha (four-leaved), was drunk by addictions is meagre. The temperance and the well-to-do classes in the time of Akbar anti-opium societies have published some data, (155G to 1G05) and later. Opium on account out these are biased, and often inaccurate and of its stronger effects appears to have taken a Even such an misleading. important subject great hold of the people and poppy was exten- infantile as. administration of opium, which is sively cultivated all over the country during still so prevalent, is an enormous amount this and was in all classes. of doing period indulged by harm, and is probably a cause of the high infantile mortality in some communities, has Opium not been systematically investigated. Opium and author's is Opium, eating smoking.?The eating very prevalent in many parts and work in the field has shown that most of the opium is in in Assam smoking indulged freely raw opium sold in the country is used for and other areas. The are used to hemp drugs addiction purposes in one form or another. It an enormous extent. No work has systematic is generally consumed in the form of a pill or been done to determine the ill-effects produced solution in water. Opium smoking although hy these habits. Some the drug years ago not common is still practised in the lower Indian Research Fund Association the gave strata of society in many parts of the country. writer a small grant to the investigate drug It is common in Assam and in certain parts of addiction in this some country and interesting the Central Provinces and Berar. The data have been propor- collected. A list of papers tion of smokers to eaters in published in this opium opium connection is given at the end one- of Assam has been variously estimated from this memorandum. It is obvious that the third to half of the total addicts, but our recent inquiry has only touched the of this vast fringes enquiries show that the number has now come problem. The wide experience the writer has of down to a quarter. The Government of India the problem as it exists in different parts and all the governments have adopted to the conclusion that provincial ^eac^sJnm the the policy of checking opium smoking by subject is of vital importance?from the social, 122 THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE [March, 1935 of the diminishing the facilities for the practice per addict as compared with 20 grains worked out by habit through legislation. These measures have the Opium Commission of 1895. to in it succeeded to a great extent and as a result of Addiction opiates this country, although still does not in such^ this the habit has declined. very extensive, appear to exist greatly intense and pernicious form as it does in the west Although opium is habitually used by large sections with morphine and other alkaloids of opium. It may of the population at the present time, the indulgence be stated here that in the old days, when opium was is not so widely prevalent as might be imagined from cheap, addicts were undoubtedly met who took ISO some of the recent publications on the subject. The to 500 grains of the drug daily. The writer in recent Government of India have strictly adhered to their years has met with only a few individuals who took promise to the League of Nations and have progres- more than 50 grains daily; many of the old addicts, sively reduced both the production and consumption however, take more than 15 grains daily. The chief of opium. We have shown that, although if the reason for smaller dosage is that the price of opiu1? country is taken as a whole the consumption of opium has risen enormously. Whereas during the pre-British3 is low, in certain parts it is very high. For example, period, in the Punjab, opium used to sell at 2 to in Bengal presidency taken as a whole, the consump- annas (2 or 3 pence) per 'tola' (180 grains or 12 gm.)> tion per 10,000 of population is 8 seers per annum in 1901-02 it cost 8 annas for the same amount and instead of 6 seers required for the medical and scienti- in 1929-30 Re. 1-12-0 (half a crown). fic needs; in the town of Calcutta it is 58 seers, Hooghly district 21 seers, Howrah 16 seers and Administration of opium to infants.-" 15 seers. In the Madras 24-Parganas presidency Habitual administration of to infants at taken as a whole it is 8 but for East Godavari opium seers, certain of their and West Godavari it is 37 and 22 seers respectively. periods lives has been prevalent For the Punjab as a whole it is 12 seers, but for in India for many centuries. The habit appear? Ferozepore district 33 seers, Lahore 34 seers, Ludhiana to have been started because of the drug's 25 seers, Amritsar 30 seers. For the whole of Bombay power of allaying diarrhoea and vomiting* presidency it is 10.05 seers, but is considerably higher and in the towns of Bombay and Ahmedabad and in Broach relieving cough pain, and producing sleep- district. In the whole of the Central Provinces and The custom, although it is still met with in Berar it is 9.0 seers, but in Amraoti it is 40 seers, almost every part of has greatly declined Akola 50 seers and in 30 seers. For the India, Balaghat the last two or three decades. The United Provinces as a whole it is 4 seers but the during is still m incidence is high in a few districts, e.g., Cawnpore, drug, however, extensively employed Benares and Lucknow, where the consumption rate the Central Provinces and Berar and in the is 19, 21 and 17 seers respectively. In Assam as a industrial areas in all parts of India. whole it is 19 seers, but in Lakhimpore it is 70, Sibsagar 45, Nowgong 27, Darrang 22 and Kamrup In Berar it is stated that 75 per cent of the infants 8.9 seers. The highest consumption rate recorded in are doped with opium and that 25 per cent (i.e., 6,198-J the India is in the Sadiya frontier tract, being 94 seers. lbs.) of total_ opium consumed goes to infants- The high figures are due to smoking of the drug, The consumption is still higher in the cotton-growing areas where children account of the which necessitates a much higher consumption per for 40 per cent head.