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New Delhi: Children in India are trying drugs much earlier than expected, with the average initiation age at only 12.9 years — and some beginning as early as 11. This revelation has been made by a new school survey spanning 10 Indian cities. The study, published this month in the 'National Medical Journal of India', brings to fore the stunning fact that one in seven school students has tried a psychoactive substance at least once.
As many as 5,920 students aged around 14.7 years were surveyed. The students surveyed spanned across Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Jammu, Imphal, Dibrugarh and Ranchi.
The study reported that 15.1% had used a substance at some point in their lives, 10.3% had done so in the previous year, and 7.2% in the past month, a Times of India report stated.
The most commonly used substance was tobacco (4%), followed by alcohol (3.8%). Opioids (2.8%), cannabis (2%) and inhalants (1.9%) were other substances that the children used. Most opioid use was linked to non-prescribed pharmaceutical pills, the findings revealed.
The study was headed by Dr Anju Dhawan, chief of the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre at AIIMS Delhi, in collaboration with medical colleges in Lucknow, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Dibrugarh, Srinagar, Mumbai, Imphal, Ranchi and Hyderabad.
The study found that substance use increased significantly with age. It indicated that classes XI-XII students were twice as likely to have used substances compared to students of Class VIII. It was reported that boys used tobacco and cannabis more, while girls reported higher use of inhalants and pharmaceutical opioids. More than half the students stated they would conceal their drug use, suggesting the actual numbers may be higher.
The survey revealed a clear connection between substance use and emotional distress: 31% of students who used drugs in the previous year had high psychological difficulty scores, compared with 25% of non-users, with significant differences in behaviour, hyperactivity, and emotional symptoms.
Experts note that the early age of initiation is a serious warning sign. It is because of their easy access and unresolved emotional distress that is driving children towards substance use.
