Nepal, Oct. 8 -- Drug abuse is a growing social and public health crisis in Nepal. According to the 2019 report 'Hard Drug Users in Nepal', 130,425 people abuse drugs in the country, with an annual growth rate of 5.06 percent. The number of women who abuse drugs is also rising significantly. For instance, of the 1,167 individuals involved in drug offences in fiscal year 2024-25, 603 were users, and 564 were smugglers; of these, 38 were female users, and 43 were female smugglers. But their numbers could be higher, especially for women, as official figures seldom capture the full scale of women trapped in drug addiction. Yet the government's response falls short of tackling the crisis.

While drug abuse is a matter of serious concern regard...