Unemployment and drug abuse: The twin crisis among Nagaland youths

Nagaland stands at a critical crossroads where demographic advantage risks turning into a social emergency. A young, educated, and culturally rich generation is struggling to find its footing in a state unable to absorb its growing workforce. As unemployment tightens its grip on thousands of educated youths, a parallel crisis is unfolding—one that feeds on frustration, idleness, and despair. Drug abuse, once seen as a peripheral concern, has now emerged as a devastating consequence of prolonged joblessness, threatening to erode families, communities, and the very future of the state. The twin challenges of unemployment and substance abuse are no longer isolated social issues; together, they form a vicious cycle that demands urgent national attention, policy intervention, and collective responsibility before an entire generation slips through the cracks.

For many young people in Nagaland, unemployment is the first point of frustration. Every year, thousands of educated youths complete their schooling and higher education with hope, only to find limited opportunities waiting for them. Government jobs remain the most in demand choice and vacancies are limited and competition is extreme. The private sector is underdeveloped, industries are few, and entrepreneurship is often discouraged by lack of capital, training, and infrastructure. As a result, a large section of the youth remains idle, uncertain, and disillusioned. 

Nagaland has immense talent in sports, music, arts, and creative fields. Engaging youths in constructive activities can act as a powerful preventive tool against drug abuse and idleness. However, lack of infrastructure, funding, and long-term support often discourages talented youths from pursuing these paths professionally.

This sustained unemployment does not merely affect income it deeply impacts mental health and self-worth. Young people who once carried ambition begin to feel inactive and powerless. Many migrate outside the state in search of work, while others remain behind, trapped in a cycle of waiting and disappointment. Over time, this emotional and economic vacuum becomes fertile ground for more dangerous alternatives.

It is within this space that drug abuse finds its way into the lives of many youths. What often begins as curiosity, peer pressure, or an escape from stress slowly turns into addiction. Nagaland has witnessed a worrying rise in substance abuse, especially among adolescents and young adults. Easy availability of drugs, combined with unemployment, lack of recreational spaces, and weak enforcement, has worsened the situation. Families and communities are increasingly bearing the burden through broken homes, school dropouts, health crises, and even crime.

The most alarming truth is that unemployment and drug abuse are not separate problems they fuel each other. Joblessness creates frustration and idleness, which can push youths toward drugs. Addiction in turn, destroys discipline, health and employ ability, making it even harder for individuals to escape unemployment. This vicious cycle continues unless addressed at its root.

So, which is the bigger burning issue? Unemployment remains the broader structural crisis, affecting a larger section of the youth and shaping the overall direction of the state’s future. Due to limited opportunities within the state, many youths of Nagaland migrates to cities like Guwahati, Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai in search of jobs. While migration offers exposure and income for some, others face exploitation, discrimination, job insecurity, and poor living conditions.  Drug abuse, however, is the most visible and destructive consequence, causing immediate harm to individuals and society. Drug use among youths often begins casually through social influence or curiosity. The availability of drugs at affordable price makes the problem more dangerous. Treating one without addressing the other will only offer temporary relief.

The solution lies in a combined approach creating meaningful employment, promoting skill development and entrepreneurship, strengthening community support systems, and aggressively tackling drug networks while expanding rehabilitation and awareness programs. More importantly, the voices of the youth must be heard, not dismissed.

Nagaland’s young generation does not lack talent or resilience. What they lack are opportunities and direction. Addressing unemployment and drug abuse together is not just a policy challenge it is a moral responsibility to safeguard the future of the state. The solution lies in collective responsibility. Government policies must translate into real opportunities. Educational institutions must prepare youths for real-world challenges. More importantly, youths must be encouraged to believed in their own worth and potential.