Mumbai: The dark side of White Magic

To gain insights into the farreaching impact and deeply troubling nature of addiction to synthetic drugs midday spoke to members of investigation agencies as well as experts such as psychiatrists and doctors Their inputs shed light on the physical psychological and social ramifications of the narcotics menaceA senior officer of an investigation agency said if the drug menace is not curbed it will take a serious toll on society in the next five yearsldquoIn the past few years we noticed the sale and consumption of MD mephedrone sale had started gradually increasing After the COVIDinduced lockdown ended the MD epidemic took over based on what we have been noticing during our daytoday practice We are attending to patients mostly college students graduates and even professionals in the corporate sector who are addicted to drugs The welleducated sector of our country is getting addicted despite knowing very well what is right and wrongrdquo said Dr Sagar Mundada consultant psychiatrist and deaddiction specialistHe added that the habits of these individuals were impacting their physical and mental health and finances and were responsible for isolating them from their families and near and dear ones who were not ready to accept themSeeds of addictionAccording to Dr Mundada some patients had not even heard about mephedrone before being introduced to it by friends who recommended it highly while others had started becoming regular users after taking the synthetic drug to deal with work pressure ldquoOnce a person consumes MD he or she gets energetic This is why they start taking it to complete tasks Stress never ends but addiction keeps on increasing Some patients had spent Rs 50000 to Rs 40 lakh on their habit incurring debtrdquo he saidDr Deepti Puranik assistant professor psychology NMIMS Dr Rutuja Karkhanis More programme chairperson psychology NMIMS Dr Sagar Mundada consultant psychiatrist and deaddiction specialistA CEOrsquos taleldquoA few months ago a CEO of a Mumbaibased company dropped by for treatment He had started taking MD to cope with work pressure Initially he would take it often on the weekends to start the week well He then started spending lakhs every month on his habit Seeing how it was boosting his performance at work he had even recommended it to some of his staffers Going by that he said I believe he almost spent around Rs 50 lakh on MD which depleted his savingsrdquo Dr Mundada saidStudent savedRecounting the story of a 20yearold BSC student from Mira Road Dr Mundada said the youth had been depressed because of studies and family issues ldquoSeeing him in a stressed state a friend took him out for drinks During the session the friend gave him some white powder which he claimed would boost his spirits The student then felt energetic and began dancing After a few days he started thinking about trying it again He would then have it every weekend without fail But the weekly habit was turning into a daily one After a while the friend started avoiding the student as he was unable to pay for the drug which costs Rs 1000 to Rs 3000 per gram However the friend later asked him to approach others to sample his wares if he wanted to continue taking the drugrdquo he said The student started searching for other customers and would constantly ask people for cash ldquoHis parents eventually noticed this behaviour and found out about the addiction after gaining his trust The parents put him under house arrest for a month and once he assured them he would quit the habit they brought him for counselling sessionsrdquo Dr Mundada addedEngineer ensnaredDr Mundada also recounted a case involving a Mumbaibased 30yearold techie ldquoHe was earning a good amount and had an EMI of around R40000 per month After getting addicted to MD he would blow his salary on the drug within a day or two He would then default on the payment of the EMI and ask friends for money regularly The borrowed money was also spent on MD After this went on for months his family learnt that he was kneedeep in debt and an addict His parents then decided to send him for counselling but he was unwilling to accept that he had erred He is now undergoing counselling sessions and his family has taken over his finances ensuring he has enough cash to travel His friends are in touch with the family constantly to see that he reaches home on time and stays clear of MDrdquo said Dr MundadaBorrowing habitAccording to experts some addicts need 10 to 15 grams of MD over a night which is costly An individual who had racked up debts of R25 lakh over three years told midday ldquoIf you donrsquot have cash you turn to your friends and tell them lies about your health or safety to get hold of money Of the 100 contacts on my mobile phone I had asked 90 for cash and around 40 obliged me Be it Rs 500 or Rs 10000 every paisa countsrdquoWhite aphrodisiacExperts claim that the drug is also used to increase onersquos sexual prowess and some married couples begin using it for this purpose However the ensuing addiction results in the breakdown of families ldquoPeople only think about the advantages of drugs but many are still unaware of their ill effectsrdquo saidDr MundadaHealth concernsDr Deepti Puranik assistant professor psychology NMIMS said ldquoMephedrone affects a personrsquos mood as well as their environment It gives a sense of euphoria due to which people tend to get addicted to it In a particular case a teenage boy exhibited symptoms similar to that of MD users However it is difficult to mention whether it was MD or some other drugrdquoldquoHis continuous drug abuse had brought complete distress to his family due to the financial burden as well as the communication block between the parents and teenager His family members used to force him to undergo psychological therapeutic sessions He did attend one or two of them but refused to continue further Inconsistency in treatment is often seen in such clientsrdquo she addedDr Rutuja Karkhanis More programme chairperson psychology NMIMS said ldquoMephedrone is also known as White Magic drone MCAT and meow meow Consumption of it may lead to hallucinations confusion and a stroke An immediate effect is seen if injected It takes a few minutes if itrsquos snorted or swallowed A person using MD may feel confident be more talkative alert anxious or dizzy It fastens the heartbeat and dependency may lead to insomniardquoAddiction among womenA senior police officer said ldquoWe have noticed a lot of collegegoing girls and women consuming drugs Some also get into peddling and running syndicates A classic example is Chinku Pathanrsquos associate Iqra Qureshi who was arrested from Dongri Qureshi who was arrested more than once started off as a consumer and went on to become a peddler and then a wholesaler Around five to six women part of her supply chain as she felt the police would never target themrdquoNCBSpeakAmit Ghawate zonal director Narcotic Control Bureau said parents must keep an eye on their kids ldquoIn many cases youngsters caught in narcotic cases were using the dark net to purchase drugs One should also keep a watch on their spouse as all sorts of people are getting addicted to drugs and involved in their supply over the past few yearsrdquo he addedThe path to sobrietyAccording to Dr Mundada an addict must not be in a state of denial about their situation ldquoWhen parents or close ones bring addicts to the doctor oftentimes they donrsquot say a single word While it is clear that their body and brain are hijacked by MD if one is clear about what he is up to and is ready to quit the family should support them under any circumstances Counselling and proper management are needed If someone is reeling under debt and cannot manage their monthly salary their finances should be taken over by their family or close onesrdquo he saidRs 1000 to Rs 3000Approx cost of 1 gram of MD