Aizawl, Dec. 26 -- Mizoram has recorded 111 drug-related deaths so far this year, marking the highest annual toll from substance abuse in the state in the past two decades, according to data compiled by the state Excise and Narcotics Department and the police.
Officials said the deaths, recorded between January and December 22, included 94 men and 17 women, with victims ranging in age from as young as 14 to 57 years. A majority of the fatalities were linked to the consumption of a mix of drugs, while about 40 deaths were attributed specifically to heroin abuse.
The latest figures push the total number of drug-related deaths in Mizoram to 1,990 since 1984, when the first heroin-related fatality was officially documented in the state. Of th...