In a shocking revelation, the Mizoram Excise and Narcotics Department stated that at least 65 people have died of drug abuse in Mizoram last year.

Among those killed in substance abuse in the State last year also include 12 women.

The department report detailed that of the 65 drug-related deaths last year, 28 people died from heroin overdose while the rest died due to abuse of other narcotics.

The state has already recorded its first death of drug abuse in this new year.

In 2004, the State recorded a maximum number of drug-related deaths with 143 people succumbing to substance abuse.

The State Excise and Narcotics Department records reveal at least 1,468 people have died from substance abuse in Mizoram since the year 1984.

Meanwhile, officials of the department also disclosed that around 6.035 kilogramme of heroin, 13,400 Methamphetamine tablets and 1,59,471 tablets of pseudo-ephedrine were seized during several conducted by the Excise and Narcotics Department from various parts of the State last year.

The department also seized 392 kilogramme of ganja (cannabis) and destroyed 4,127 ganja plants, officials added.

In 2017, Mizoram conducted the Baseline Survey on Extent and Pattern of Drug Use in the State, the first of its kind complete survey, has revealed many shocking facts about drug abuse in the State. .

The survey was carried out in all the eight districts of Mizoram by 32 researchers, interviewing 2633 drug users whose average age was 28 years.

Of the 2,633 drug users interviewed, 80 per cent were males, 10 per cent were females and one percent were transgenders.

Most of the drug users said they started taking drugs from seven to 12 years of going to school, and most of them started smoking before going for drugs.

The survey revealed that 81.6 per cent of drug users were jobless while 32 per cent drug users among males had permanent jobs. Among the female drug users, 12.9 per cent sold drugs and 33 per cent were commercial sex workers.

Pharmaceutical opioids are the commonest abused drugs in Mizoram, followed by heroin, sedative drugs and inhalants or volatile solvents.