Rise In Addiction Among Kids Noted After Covid-19 Era, Says De-addiction Centre Head

The de-addiction centre at the Ludhiana Civil Hospital here has been receiving addicts under 12 years of age struggling with heroin and cannabis addiction.

- Rakshit Sharma

LUDHIANA: The de-addiction centre at the Ludhiana Civil Hospital here has been receiving addicts under 12 years of age struggling with heroin and cannabis addiction. Since April 2022, the centre has seen 193 such cases. "For every hundred addicts who come to the centre, 5-6 are children under 12," said Dr Arvind Goyal, who heads the centre.

The youngest of these kids, Dr Goyal recalls, was an eight-year-old from the Tibba Road area here. "The parents noted that the kid was behaving differently. Upon inspection, we found injection marks on his hand. Upon further questioning, he revealed that he had been taking heroin for the last six months," he said.