________________
ADDICTION
ome substances after entering
affect
and the nervous system. One gets habituated to the feeling of numbness and lightness often referred to as a 'kick'. The habit of getting kick from these substances, known as toxicants, is called as addiction. Mankind has developed several addictions which can be broadly classified into three categories.
(1) Taking tobacco in different forms. (2) Drinking alcoholic beverages. (3) Consuming opium, LSD, hemp, "brown suger" etc. branded as drug addiction.
In most of the contries the third category is legally banned and possession of "drugs", their transport, sale and consumption is considered as a serious offence. Society also condemns this category. However, enough efforts have not been made to scrupulously destroy the drugs, probably due to corruption at administrative, political, religious and law enforcement levels. The high costs and tremendous profitability in the drug business make the people extremely rich "respectable" and influencial people in the society. The individual, group of individuals, society, administration, judiciary and police, social, political and religious leaders should join hands to unveil such bad elements, and strip them of their
१७० તીર્થ-સૌરભ
Jain Education International
wealth and status, and punish them severely, so that no one would ever dare to enter such an illegal, immoral business, harmful to society. Fortunately these drugs are not openly and prestigeously consumed.
The situation is unfortunate and lamentable about the first two categories. The elite and the famous, the living legends and idols depict alcohol consumption and smoking as a status symbol. We would briefly review the status of these addictions.
To chew tabacco or to inhale smoke of tobacco through cigarrette or pipe or cigars, to apply roasted tobacco powder to teeth, inhale flavoured tobacco powder as snuff are the various ways to take tobacco inside the body to give a 'kick'. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared 31st May as a tobacco free day. This is only a beginning. Tobacco free day should follow tobacco free week and then tobcco free month and tabacco free year. Ultimately we have to achieve tobacco free life. Finally cultivation of tobacco as a crop should be stopped. This should be done by educating the people about the bad effects of tobacco. Once this is understood, then one will get convinced and change one's mind and consequently cultivation of tobacco can be stopped.
For Private & Personal Use Only
રજતજયંતી વર્ષ : ૨૫
www.jainelibrary.org
