An ethnographic account of opium consumers of Rajasthan (India): socio-medical perspective

This communication gives an ethnographic account of 200 opium users in selected villages of three Western districts in the desert state of Rajasthan. The region is known for its traditional use of raw opium in the form of amal or doda, due to its climate and difficult living conditions. The ethnogra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Addiction (Abingdon, England) England), 1995-01, Vol.90 (1), p.9-12
Main Authors: Ganguly, K K, Sharma, H K, Krishnamachari, K A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abuse
Adolescent
Adult
Africa
Child
Cultural Characteristics
Cultural practices
Drug abuse
Drug Use
Drugs
Ethnography
Family Life
Female
Health
Humans
India
Laos
Male
Medicine, Traditional
Medico-Social models
Middle Aged
Opiates
Opioid-Related Disorders - ethnology
Opioid-Related Disorders - prevention & control
Opioid-Related Disorders - psychology
Opium
Palliative Care - psychology
Rajasthan
Social Environment
Social Policy
Social relations
Sociocultural Factors
Thailand
Villages
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Summary:This communication gives an ethnographic account of 200 opium users in selected villages of three Western districts in the desert state of Rajasthan. The region is known for its traditional use of raw opium in the form of amal or doda, due to its climate and difficult living conditions. The ethnographic information suggests that opium use is in many ways integrated into the socio-cultural fabric of the local community. Self-medication with opium mitigates various health problems and the drug is also used to relieve mental distress. Besides these uses for relief of distress, the drug is used recreationally and within settings which facilitate social bonding. The traditional roles ascribed to the use of this intoxicant cannot be dismissed when formulating long-term preventive and control measures.
ISSN:0965-2140
1360-0443
DOI:10.1111/j.1360-0443.1995.tb00998.x