Sir: Every nation’s backbone is its youngsters but what about those nations whose youngsters are addicted to drugs? Approximately 4.25 million people in the country are drug dependent with a substantial proportion of the population aged 15 to 64 suffering from the related devastating consequences, according to a recent survey. It is very bad news that six percent or 6.7 million adults in Pakistan used drugs in the last 12 months. Treatment services were available to less than 30,000 drug users. Pakistan is a developing country where almost 60 percent population live hand to mouth and 40 percent of people earn Rs 150 per day, meaning people are starving for food but manage to buy drugs for their entertainment. Nowadays, children start opium and other kinds of drugs in colleges and universities. Youth is powerful but if our youth take drugs and become mentally ill, how can they build a wise nation? Cannabis was found to be the most commonly used drug in Pakistan consumed by 3.6 percent of the adult population of four million people. Where the choice is given in drugs, people choose their drug according to their tastes, such as men predominantly use cannabis and opiates whereas women use sedatives and prescribed amphetamines. The government should act because if we lose our youngsters, after 20 or 30 years we will stand nowhere in the world. Parents should watch their children and monitor their activities. FARAN MUHAMMAD KHAN Karachi