For 17-year-old Indrajit (name changed) from Kolkata, life was all about rock and roll, grass, coke and ecstasy!
“I had sex with my girlfriend and when she was not around I used to masturbate,” says Indrajit.
But that was only till he was introduced to yaba, meaning the madness drug!
“I have taken a lot of drugs. Yaba is most powerful. It arouses you sexually,” he says.
So, the teenager started chasing the dragon, as the snorting method is called.
“I started smoking yaba in foil. I was unable to go to school, eat, sleep and it led to mood swings – happy, sad, depressed – and you start getting paranoia, voices in head,” says Indrajit, who is currently undergoing rehab in Mumbai.
Yaba is the latest fad to hit the dope circuit in the country's metros. Teens high on yaba claim they experience a powerful burst of energy, heightened libido activity and decreased appetite.
But the youngsters using the drug are unaware that yaba arouses and kills, slowly. Once the effects wear off, the user crashes experiencing prolonged periods of sleep and depression.
Reel life versus real life
It is in the rave parties where reel life as in Fashion and Page 3 seems to become real. The young and the rich are getting hooked to various psychotropic drugs available in the city and now they have another variety on their platter, a deadlier concoction called yaba.
Yaba is the latest fad to hit the drug circuit. It is known as the madness drug, crazy medicine and Nazi speed. But by any name, yaba is illegal and its effects scary.
That is because yaba is really cheap and strong. It is available for Rs 300-350 as red, pink or green tablets in coffee and vanilla flavours.
Though yaba is not a sex drug, it increases the sexual urge. It is more potent than its contemporaries like heroin, ecstasy, crack, K-76 or cocaine.
Dr Yusuf Merchant, the head of Drug Abuse Information Rehabilitation and Research Centre (DAIRRC), says that yaba is much more dangerous than crack because it causes damage to brain and the person becomes totally psyched out.
While the continuous use of cocaine can cause 10% damage in 5 years, yaba causes 90% damage in the same period.
Yaba's Golden Triangle
Slowly but steadily the silent killer is creeping into India from East and Southeast Asia. Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam top the list of Yaba producing countries.
From there, the madness drug travels to Bangladesh and Myanmar. Forming the so-called Golden Triangle, it enters India from the eastern border Kolkata being one of the hot entry points.
Yaba is spreading its tentacles in major cities across India. Even more worrying is the fact that the drug is being targeted at a relatively young age-group including the school kids.
Yaba's easy target, youngsters
Dr Merchant feels that youngsters can be targeted easily as yaba makes them feel energetic, aphrodisiac and one can even go without sleep, thus helping in studies initially.
Moreover, yaba doesn't need to be smoked or injected but just swallowing a pill.
In spite of being aware of such dire consequences, the police and the authorities are reluctant to speak about this drug.
Source: Headlines Today
“I had sex with my girlfriend and when she was not around I used to masturbate,” says Indrajit.
But that was only till he was introduced to yaba, meaning the madness drug!
“I have taken a lot of drugs. Yaba is most powerful. It arouses you sexually,” he says.
So, the teenager started chasing the dragon, as the snorting method is called.
“I started smoking yaba in foil. I was unable to go to school, eat, sleep and it led to mood swings – happy, sad, depressed – and you start getting paranoia, voices in head,” says Indrajit, who is currently undergoing rehab in Mumbai.
Yaba is the latest fad to hit the dope circuit in the country's metros. Teens high on yaba claim they experience a powerful burst of energy, heightened libido activity and decreased appetite.
But the youngsters using the drug are unaware that yaba arouses and kills, slowly. Once the effects wear off, the user crashes experiencing prolonged periods of sleep and depression.
Reel life versus real life
It is in the rave parties where reel life as in Fashion and Page 3 seems to become real. The young and the rich are getting hooked to various psychotropic drugs available in the city and now they have another variety on their platter, a deadlier concoction called yaba.
Yaba is the latest fad to hit the drug circuit. It is known as the madness drug, crazy medicine and Nazi speed. But by any name, yaba is illegal and its effects scary.
That is because yaba is really cheap and strong. It is available for Rs 300-350 as red, pink or green tablets in coffee and vanilla flavours.
Though yaba is not a sex drug, it increases the sexual urge. It is more potent than its contemporaries like heroin, ecstasy, crack, K-76 or cocaine.
Dr Yusuf Merchant, the head of Drug Abuse Information Rehabilitation and Research Centre (DAIRRC), says that yaba is much more dangerous than crack because it causes damage to brain and the person becomes totally psyched out.
While the continuous use of cocaine can cause 10% damage in 5 years, yaba causes 90% damage in the same period.
Yaba's Golden Triangle
Slowly but steadily the silent killer is creeping into India from East and Southeast Asia. Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam top the list of Yaba producing countries.
From there, the madness drug travels to Bangladesh and Myanmar. Forming the so-called Golden Triangle, it enters India from the eastern border Kolkata being one of the hot entry points.
Yaba is spreading its tentacles in major cities across India. Even more worrying is the fact that the drug is being targeted at a relatively young age-group including the school kids.
Yaba's easy target, youngsters
Dr Merchant feels that youngsters can be targeted easily as yaba makes them feel energetic, aphrodisiac and one can even go without sleep, thus helping in studies initially.
Moreover, yaba doesn't need to be smoked or injected but just swallowing a pill.
In spite of being aware of such dire consequences, the police and the authorities are reluctant to speak about this drug.
Source: Headlines Today