AIZAWL, Feb 19 - Drug remained the single largest killer of youths in Mizoram during last year with 59 young people dying of drug overdose.
The number of drug related deaths in 2016 jumped from 27 in the previous year.
According to Excise & Narcotics department records, heroin was the major cause of drug-related deaths during the last two years, after manufacturing of most commonly abused pharmaceutical drugs, spasmo-proxyvon and parvon spas, was banned. These two painkillers used to be the biggest killer drug from 1984 till the last two-three years. Among the 59 deaths in 2016, heroin overdose was the cause for 36 deaths.
From January 1 to February 10, ten youths have died of drug overdose of which eight cases were caused by heroin.
At least 1,412 people including 152 females have died due to drug abuse in Mizoram since 1984 when the first drug-related death due to heroin was detected, record said.
The main killer drug in the state was spasmo proxyvon, which killed 1,162 people during the same period and 59 people due to other clinical drugs, the records said.