Drugs from Golden Triangle Hit Northeastern India

The seven states of northeast India are festering.

This part of the country is known for its lush hills, biodiversity and natural resources. Yet the seven states (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Tripura) have become the hub of drug and alcohol abuse.

The region has been plagued with chronic underdevelopment, unemployment and neglect. Linguistic and ethnic differences have led to separatist conflicts, where rebels are fighting for independence from the Indian Union. Youth are facing the brunt of this disillusionment making them vulnerable to depression and drug abuse.

Close proximity to the Golden Triangle of drugs (Laos, Myanmar, Thailand) has led to a massive influx of heroin and intravenous drugs. HIV/AIDS cases have spiked. There is a high rate of drug abuse among women. Northeast India is a troubled hotspot that remains out of focus and as always ignored.

Heroin and Spasmo Proxyvon, a prescription painkiller, are the most common drugs. The powder inside ‘Spasmo Proxyvon’ is not soluble. It often sticks to the walls of the veins, causing massive abscesses, gangrene and sometimes amputations.

Frequent power cuts, heavy military presence and lack of entertainment have made life bleak for the people of this region.

Problems abound. Counseling and mental health support is still limited—making healing a distant dream. Thus India’s northeast remains an unlit corner.

Featured image credit: Bijoyeta Das