AN ETHNOGRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF OPIUM CONSUMERS OF RAJASTHAN (INDIA) - SOCIOMEDICAL PERSPECTIVE

This communication gives an ethnographic account of 200 opium users in selected villages of three Western districts in the desert state of R ajasthan. 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 cond itions. The ethnographic information suggests that opium use is in man y ways integrated into the socio-cultural fabric of the local communit y. Self-medication with opium mitigates various health problems and th e drug is also used to relieve mental distress. Besides these uses for relief of distress, the drug is used recreationally and within settin gs which facilitate social bonding. The traditional roles ascribed to the use of this intoxicant cannot be dismissed when formulating long-t erm preventive and control measures.