Drug Addiction and our Economy

Drug Addiction and our Economy

By Ubaid-u-Rehman

About 6 million drug addicts in Pakistan are destroying their lives besides affecting every sector of society, specifically, the business sector in terms of causing accidents, reducing or causing loss of productivity, poor work and absenteeism, etc. The number of drug addicts in the business sector has gone up with the labor class and lower middle class by taking drugs for various reasons. The economy of Pakistan is paying a big price for it owing to employee accident and errors, high illness rates, wastage of time, low productivity and absenteeism.

A survey conducted by Drug Free Nation in Karachi city indicates that drug abuse workers affected their organization in terms of loss of productivity, poor work and absenteeism. Among them 76% workers committed mistakes, 56% wasted raw material, 24% remained absent from work 3 to 4 days a week that impaired 86% of total productivity. Their speed of work was slow, 48% did not satisfy their employers whereas 78% impaired their quality of work. Furthermore, 40% of them quarreled with their colleagues at their workplaces.

Above mentioned consequences of drug abuse problems are confined to merely Karachi city. A survey conducted on national level will further clear the impact of addiction on total economy of Pakistan. Furthermore, there is a great need to launch a program to make our workplaces drug free.