Essay : Drug Addiction in Bangladesh

Drug Addiction in Bangladesh

Introduction : Today, thousands of youths across Bangladesh are taking drugs on large scale which could send shivers down the veins of the society. Daily newspapers are full of reports of drug network having a turn out of crores of taka. Many experts believe that Bangladesh is often used as a transit point for international drug trafficking, making the country vulnerable to drug abuse. Traffickers are routing their shipments through Dhaka, Chittagong, Comilla, Khulna and other routes in Bangladesh. So, in near future, Bangladesh will face a catastrophe if the alarming drug abuse is not effectively checked through extensive motivation and prevention. 

Drug addiction in Bangladesh : Border crossing points used for drug smuggling : Bangladesh is situated in the central point between golden triangle (Myanmar, Thailand and Laos) and the golden crescent (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran) in terms of geographical location. And it is also surrounded by the major drug producing countries of Asia, many of which are strengthening their narcotics and stepping up enforcement measures. Bangladesh with its easy lend, sea and air access is becoming a major transit point. Traffickers who supply drugs in the Markets of Northern America, Africa and Europe are routing their shipments through Dhaka, Chattogram, Comilla, Khulna, Jeshore and other routs in Bangladesh. 

Types of drugs found in Bangladesh : There are three types of drugs available use in Bangladesh. 

1. Opium : a) Heroin b) Phensidyl c) Tidijesie d) Pethedrine e) Opium 

2. Cannabis : a) Ganja b) Chorosh c) Bhang 

3. Sleeping pill : a) Tranquilizer b) Seduxene (Diazapam) 

Measures undertaken for drug control : The government of Bangladesh, despite resource constraints, has taken a number of effective measures to strengthen its drug control mechanism. Among them some important measures are as follows : 

a. The government has planned to amend the Drug Control Act 1990 so as to confiscate property of drug traffickers. 

b. The government has banned import of raw materials that are used to produce addictive drugs in the country. 

c. The police force has been equipped with dog squads that are trained to locate the dense of deadly drugs. 

d. It has been decided to establish a modern chemical testing center at a cost of Tk. 258 lakh in Dhaka. This will help to fight drug abuse as well as to dispose of drug related criminal cases at the earliest. 

e. A task force has also been established to control production of rectified spirit in Bangladesh. 

f. Drug control committees have been set up in all the 64 districts of Bangladesh with Deputy Commissioners heading these bodies. 

Conclusion : Above discussion made it clear that there are reasons to be concerned about the looming threat of drug abuse in Bangladesh. The entire nation is now at stake due to drug abuse and its illicit trafficking. Every person from all occupations is involved more or less in drug business. Role of the department of narcotics control, police, BGB is not up to the satisfactory level. So, what is needed at the moment is marshalling of all efforts at both government and non-government levels to stem the root.