Drug abuse in Pakistan - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

DRUG INJECTING
unemployed, compared to 62% <strong>in</strong> Lahore and 58%
<strong>in</strong> Quetta. Around 11 weeks was the mean period
that both <strong>in</strong>ject<strong>in</strong>g and non-<strong>in</strong>ject<strong>in</strong>g drug users
rema<strong>in</strong>ed unemployed.
Dur<strong>in</strong>g this period around one third of <strong>in</strong>jectors <strong>in</strong>
Karachi were supported by family and/or a partner,
24% supported themselves by begg<strong>in</strong>g, 18% by casual
work, 10% by wages or salary, 6% by self employment,
and 14% by other means. These percentages
do not differ significantly among <strong>in</strong>jectors and other
drug users <strong>in</strong> Karachi. However, significantly higher
proportions of <strong>in</strong>jectors <strong>in</strong> Karachi supported themselves
by sell<strong>in</strong>g drugs (27% of <strong>in</strong>jectors vs. 9% of
other drug users), were supported by their friends
(24% of <strong>in</strong>jectors vs. 10% of other drug users) and/or
supported themselves by theft or pick pocket<strong>in</strong>g
(23% of <strong>in</strong>jectors vs. 7% of other drug users).
In Lahore, more than a third of <strong>in</strong>jectors were
supported either by their families or partners. The
other means by which the <strong>in</strong>jectors supported themselves
dur<strong>in</strong>g this period of unemployment were by
casual work (27%), friends (25%), self-employment
(22%), by begg<strong>in</strong>g (18%), wages and salary (13%),
by sell<strong>in</strong>g drugs (12%), and by theft and pick
pocket<strong>in</strong>g (8%).
The ma<strong>in</strong> source of support for the majority (40%)
of unemployed <strong>in</strong>jectors <strong>in</strong> Quetta, as <strong>in</strong> other cities
was either family or partner. The other means by
which the <strong>in</strong>ject<strong>in</strong>g drug users supported themselves
were casual work (24%), wages and salary (21%), by
friends (18%), self-employment (12%), and sell<strong>in</strong>g
drugs (9%). A similar proportion of non-<strong>in</strong>jectors <strong>in</strong>
Quetta supported themselves by these means.
However significantly higher proportion (15%) of
<strong>in</strong>jectors supported themselves by theft and pick
pocket<strong>in</strong>g than other non-<strong>in</strong>jectors (6%) <strong>in</strong> Quetta.
Family or partner supported almost half of the
<strong>in</strong>ject<strong>in</strong>g drug users <strong>in</strong> Peshawar. The other means
of support were by theft and pick pocket<strong>in</strong>g (21%),
friends (18%), begg<strong>in</strong>g (14%), casual work (14%), and
self-employment (7%). Significantly higher proportion
of <strong>in</strong>jectors (21% <strong>in</strong>jectors vs. 8% of other drug
users) <strong>in</strong> Peshawar supported themselves by sell<strong>in</strong>g
drugs.
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