Hyderabad, Aug. 21 -- With around 100 million substance addicts in the country, India has seen an alarming 70 percent rise in narcotic consumption in the past eight years. The United Nations has found that 13 percent of drug-abuse victims in India are below the age of 20. Social scientists attribute the increasing drug abuse among the adolescent population to the poor socio-economic conditions, unemployment, violence, sexual abuse, and exploitation.

The rise in drug abuse cases in India has also been associated with the increase in violent crime, such as rape, kidnapping, murder, and robbery. The deplorable incidents are rising every year. Moreover, the actual numbers are believed to be much greater than those registered ones because man...