- According to the Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawarchand Gehlot, about 16 crore people are consuming alcohol in the country.
- Mr. Gehlot said that this was revealed in a survey which was conducted by his Ministry in collaboration with the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of AIIMS.
- During the survey, more than two lakh households were visited in 186 districts of the country. The survey was conducted after a gap of 15 years.
- The primary objective of this survey, the Minister said, was to assess the extent and pattern of substance use in each state and union territories.
- According to the survey, only one in 38 people with alcohol dependence get any treatment.
- It said, the states with high prevalence of dependent pattern of alcohol use disorders are Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Chattisgarh and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Nearly one in five alcohol users needs urgent treatment.
- The survey also revealed that over three crore people have used cannabis products within the last 12 months.
