Feature: Afghan businessman helps drug addicts rejoin Afghan society

Convinced that the government alone cannot solve the worsening drug addiction problem in the country, a local businessman in this western Afghan city decided to use his own resources to help drug dependents rejoin society. "At first, my relatives and friends were against my idea of helping solve the drug menace in Afghanistan,"businessman Abdul Sattar Pahlawan told Xinhua in a recent interview.

He said that drug addicts are rejected by people in society and are treated as pariahs."But they are also human beings and they need our compassion and understanding. That is the reason why I am helping them,"said Pahlawan, which means wrestler in Dari language.

But unlike some politicians who use only lip service in helping solve the drug menace, Pahlawan has"walked the talk"by setting up a drug rehabilitation center in the eastern part of the city, with nearly 1 million population. The center has since accepted a number of drug users, mostly young Afghans. "I found that the drug users are frequently involved in small crimes such as robberies in order to have money to buy drugs. This has caused the rise in the number of petty crimes across the city. Accepting drug dependents and have them treated at the center will not only bring down crimes but also give drug users the chance to rejoin society,"said Pahlawan.

Studies show that drug addiction in Afghanistan is often the result of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, trauma from continuing conflicts,migration and misconceptions about the so- called calming effects of drugs.

According to the Public Health Ministry, there are now an estimated 1.5 million drug dependents in Afghanistan with some 13 percent of them children and 20 percent women. Among them, only about 5 percent have access to public health care or rehabilitation facilities.

Afghanistan, which is being ravaged by Taliban-led insurgency, produces about 90 percent of the world's opium, the raw material used in manufacturing heroin, according to officials.

Pahlawan said up to 400 drug dependents have been treated and discharged at his center over the past year. "Around 500 patients are receiving treatment now. They would also be discharged as soon as they quit using drugs,"Pahlavan said.

Pahlawan said compared to other cities in Afghanistan, Herat Province and Herat City have a very favorable investment climate. "Here it would not be difficult to provide employment for drug users who want to rejoin society,"he said. "I have been using drugs for 10 years. I am really thankful to Pahlawan for his help in my getting rid of drugs,"Basir, 38,told Xinhua.

Basir said that after he started using drugs, he lost everything."My family abandoned me. I never thought that one day I would be able to stop my dependence on drugs and become financially self-reliant and I owe Pahlawan for this,"Basir said.

Basir said that if the government controls the cultivation and production of drugs it could get rid of drug dependency in the country, otherwise Afghanistan will continue to be the No. 1 source of banned drugs across the world.

"We are not disabled. If we receive medical care, stop using drugs and provided with jobs, then there is no reason why we cannot rejoin society and our families,"Basir said.

More than 100 government-run drug treatment centers are operating across the country, officials said. Endi