Part of the problem is that drug addiction has reached staggering proportions in Punjab.
In any case, it's part of a feedback loop with increasing unemployment and increasing crime.
As a member of the diaspora I wonder what more can be done from the outside?
Both! Many villages are now fighting to stop opening up of Wine shops (some small villages have one school and 3-4 wine shops!). It is said that the corrupt elements in Punjab Govt. get a cut for every wine shop opened in Punjab. They also own most of the bus network.
As kjsingh says, it's both. Expand the list to any kind of high: prescription painkillers, Iodex, even lizards: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Drunkards-...