Srinagar, Aug 6: Kashmir, long battling a severe drug addiction problem, now faces a new and potentially more dangerous threat: the rise of synthetic heroin use. This alarming trend is causing unprecedented health issues among users, including chronic scarred veins and various skin diseases, pushing Kashmir’s healthcare system to its limits. The gravity of the situation came to light during a routine checkup at the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) in Srinagar.
Doctors discovered alarming signs of chronic scarred veins among many drug addicts in a patient named Amir (name changed for privacy). Despite being under treatment for drug addiction for several months, this severe condition has gone unnoticed until now. Further investigation revealed that Amir had been using adulterated or synthetic heroin, a mixture of pharmaceutical opioids, for years.
Dr Yasir Rather, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at IMHANS, GMC Srinagar, said that over the past two years, doctors had encountered numerous similar cases, indicating a worrying shift in drug use patterns across the region. “We are observing an alarming trend where the majority of drug abusers are now consuming adulterated heroin,” Dr Rather said. “This synthetic version is a dangerous cocktail of pharmaceutical opioids, including substances like Tramadol, mixed with opium.
It poses even greater risks than pure heroin.” The health consequences of this shift are severe and potentially life-th.