Abuse of narcotic drugs
Monday, 28 June 2010
The international day to mark the abuse of drugs and human trafficking was observed in Bangladesh the other day. On this occasion, different sides to rapid increase of drug abuse in the country were highlighted by speakers in a number of seminars. There are reportedly some 30 million drug addicts in Bangladesh. Although this is a huge and alarming figure some private estimates suggest that the number of addicts is higher. More significant is that the rate of the creation of new addicts happens to be a rapidly growing one. This means that the number of the addicts could rise to a new high, fairly soon, if the menace is not sought to be contained and reversed immediately.
Drug addiction has now acquired full bloom in Bangladesh as a very crippling socio-economic-psychologial problem. The flower of youth is getting wasted by it. Young ones from all sections of the population are becoming the victims of addiction --specially --and its consequences which are mainly their shattered physical and mental health, zero productivity and the burden on family and society to care for them. The addicted ones in most cases are found to rely on crimes like snatching and stealing to get money to maintain their habits. Others resort to more serious crimes specially when parents and others refuse to satisfy their demand for money to be spent on addiction. Even the costs of curing addiction form a huge drain of resources although the number of related care and rehabilitation centres is still limited. But these would likely grow as the number of the addicts rises and more families with the means could come to them for service.
According to a rough reckoning, statistics given out by enforcement agencies, addictive drugs worth over Taka 70 billion annually enter Bangladesh from neighbouring countries. The same sources admit that only about 10 per cent of these addiction substances are actually seized and destroyed. But unofficial estimates of the entry of such addictive drugs are even higher but the rate of their seizure is seen as smaller. Thus, from the above one should have an idea about the sort of challenge that the country and the society face from the drug menace.
There was a time in the last century when a big part of the population of China turned into opimium addicts. The resulting loss of vitality or the physical and mental health of the population of that country was a matter of utmost concern. Drug addiction can degrade a country and its people with its ill consequences. Bangladesh is, however, yet to become a too troubled a country with the drug abuse problem but it seems headed in that direction in the backdrop of insufficient recognition of the problem at governmental and social levels. The time to set up effective resistance has been long overdue. If timely actions are not taken with a sense of urgency, then this country would be required to pay in full the price for lack of care.
Different official agencies engaged in the task of confronting the problem are not doing their job properly. Ways will have to be found out to get much better work out of them. But the greatest barrier to the drug menace can be no other than building social deterrence to the same. Families meaning parents and elders must play the lead role in watching over their young ones under their charge and build a warm and truly understanding relations with the juniors to talk them out of the drug-taking habit or not to be afflicted by the same. There should be regular publicities in the mass media to the same effect. Socially important persons should embark on creating and sustaining a social movement to create awareness and actions against drug addiction.
Drug addiction has now acquired full bloom in Bangladesh as a very crippling socio-economic-psychologial problem. The flower of youth is getting wasted by it. Young ones from all sections of the population are becoming the victims of addiction --specially --and its consequences which are mainly their shattered physical and mental health, zero productivity and the burden on family and society to care for them. The addicted ones in most cases are found to rely on crimes like snatching and stealing to get money to maintain their habits. Others resort to more serious crimes specially when parents and others refuse to satisfy their demand for money to be spent on addiction. Even the costs of curing addiction form a huge drain of resources although the number of related care and rehabilitation centres is still limited. But these would likely grow as the number of the addicts rises and more families with the means could come to them for service.
According to a rough reckoning, statistics given out by enforcement agencies, addictive drugs worth over Taka 70 billion annually enter Bangladesh from neighbouring countries. The same sources admit that only about 10 per cent of these addiction substances are actually seized and destroyed. But unofficial estimates of the entry of such addictive drugs are even higher but the rate of their seizure is seen as smaller. Thus, from the above one should have an idea about the sort of challenge that the country and the society face from the drug menace.
There was a time in the last century when a big part of the population of China turned into opimium addicts. The resulting loss of vitality or the physical and mental health of the population of that country was a matter of utmost concern. Drug addiction can degrade a country and its people with its ill consequences. Bangladesh is, however, yet to become a too troubled a country with the drug abuse problem but it seems headed in that direction in the backdrop of insufficient recognition of the problem at governmental and social levels. The time to set up effective resistance has been long overdue. If timely actions are not taken with a sense of urgency, then this country would be required to pay in full the price for lack of care.
Different official agencies engaged in the task of confronting the problem are not doing their job properly. Ways will have to be found out to get much better work out of them. But the greatest barrier to the drug menace can be no other than building social deterrence to the same. Families meaning parents and elders must play the lead role in watching over their young ones under their charge and build a warm and truly understanding relations with the juniors to talk them out of the drug-taking habit or not to be afflicted by the same. There should be regular publicities in the mass media to the same effect. Socially important persons should embark on creating and sustaining a social movement to create awareness and actions against drug addiction.