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# Introduction

Drug abuse directly influences the economic and social aspects of a

country. In Bangladesh it is a growing national concern. There are millions
of drug-addicted people in Bangladesh and most of them are young,
between the ages of 18 and 30. And they are from all strata of the society.
A recent epidemiological survey carried out in the three divisions of
Bangladesh shows that the country is going to be transformed into a
potential user of drugs with the rapid increase in the number of addicts.
For the safety of our people and the society from this deadly game, we
have to control illicit drug transportation immediately.

Our country is a land surrounded by India from three corners. The northern
and eastern sides are surrounded with hills and mountains. And the
western corner is mainly plain land. The hilly regions are suitable for illicit
drug trafficking. The traffickers can easily hide themselves in these hilly
forests and transfer the drugs safely. In our country there are many
border-crossing points from where every day millions of money are being
exchanged for drugs. The border crossing points with neighboring
countries are shown in Table 1:

Table 1

The Main Border Crossing Points In Bangladesh That Are Highly Used For
Smuggling
Regions Country Border crossing points

Western India Benapol, Dorshona, Dogachi, Parsha,

Hilly, Birol, Balubari, Banglabandha.

Eastern India Latu, Ahamadabad, Akhaura, Koshba,

and Amratoly, Razapur, Braymmapara,
Mayan Bibirbazar, Chaddagram, Suagazi, Mirja
mar nagar, Ramghar, Barkal, Ukhia, Teknaf

Northern India Tinbigha Corridor, Patgram, Mogholhat,

Ailatoly, Tamabil

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(Source: Graphosman’s New Atlas)

NB: Table mentioned border crossing points as well as some nearest

border area.

From Table-1, it is clear that, Bangladesh is one of the most popular drug
trafficking points in the world. The research focused mainly on the youth in
Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is situated in the central point between the ‘golden triangle’

(Mayanmar, 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 legislation and stepping up enforcement
measures. Bangladesh with its easy land, 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, Chittagong, Comilla, Khulna, and other routes in Bangladesh. It is
believed that with the increasing quantity of the wares more and more
people are likely to get involved in drug business. In this way it ultimately
contributes to the number of drug abusers as well.

# Description

I. What is drug addiction?

The word addiction means getting habituated with something. In case of
drugs when a human body gets dependent on some stimulating things,
and after a certain period it creates a habit which means that the body has
become dependent on the stimulant which is addiction. World Health
Organization (WHO) defines it: Drug is a chemical substance of synthetic,
semi synthetic or natural origin intended for diagnostic, therapeutic or
palliative use or for modifying physiological functions of man and animal.

A drug abuser can undergo different stages of tasting apart from normal
lifestyle. Drug abuse can decay normal human senses through deep
feelings. It creates different types of excitement both in the body and mind.
Finally, it makes a person passionate to drugs. In the long run the user has
to increase the dose day by day.
Addiction has some stages.

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a) Initial stage,
b) Pre-mature stage,
c) Mature stage and
d) Dangerous stage.

a) Initial stage (starting): This is the first stage of drug addiction. At first,
a person starts to take drug without concerning his body. At the early
stage he takes it just normally, and gets the ordinary happiness, which
makes him feel better. Sometimes, he wants to touch heavenly excitement
and dreams himself as a floating constituent in the sky. This is the first
stage of drug abusing. Amateurs are in this group. They take drug once or
twice a week with their friends or seniors in their locality, who are already
addicted. He collects it and processes it to take.
b) Pre-mature stage (the real test of drug): In this stage, drugs become
a habit, and the abuser wants more. Feeling better s/he tries to increase
the dosage drugs. It is taken at least 4-5 times a week. This is the primary
stage for abusers in becoming addicted. At the initial stage they can easily
manage or collect the money for purchasing. They collect money from
their family, and sometimes from other sources. They take drugs with their
friends. After a few days they need to take more and become dependent
on it both mentally and physically. The sudden need for excess money,
involves them in criminal acts like hijacking, and they feel thrilled to do it.

c) Mature stage: After the pre-mature stage abusers become seriously

addicted. They have to take it every day, after a certain period. In
maximum of cases it is taken from evening to night time. For that, they are
busy all day long in collecting the expenditure of drug. They need much
more money for it and sometimes they turn against the law. Many
discontinue their education after failing to concentrate on any kind of
discipline. They forget social protocol, always remain bad tempered and
feel they are always in the right. They do not want to hear any advice and
count themselves as very aware and competent. Sometimes they feel
frustrated and even lose the will to live.

d) Decaying stage: After mature stage most of the abusers stay on the
verge of decaying. It means gradually their lives crumble. They can
realize, how imbalanced they are. They lose taste for food. At this stage
they become fully dependent on drug, gradually after a few hours they
have to take it, otherwise their body system stops. In that situation the
abuser loses human characteristics and behaves like a monster. They
have no sense to evaluate good or bad, to enjoy anything, they lose

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interest in normal male/female yeamings. And finally one day they fully
surrender to drugs, which leads them to their graves.

II. Primary Causes of Drug addiction in Bangladesh:

Primary
Cause Percentage

Delinquent

Peer 50%

Unconsciousness 5%

Curiosity 15%

Joy Felling 5%

Depression 20%

Others 5%

Total 100%

An overall cause includes psychological causes, economical causes,

social causes, political causes, Biological causes and Familial causes
Psychological causes:

Depression is a common cause of drug addiction. In daily life, people feel

depression in many ways for many reasons. They try to remove
depression and use drug as a tool for remove that depression. One day
they became drug addict. Heartbroken: When a man or woman refused by
another man or woman in time of romance or marriage proposal, it is said
that the heart of the refused person is broken. To reduce the mental
shock, the refused person takes drug, and this taking is turned into
addiction. This culture is mainly observed in the young generation.

One of the common causes of drug addiction is association with peer

groups. When a normal person associates with an addicted person, he
has a high probability to be a drug addicted. Curiosity is a normal tendency
of human being. Especially the teenagers are more curious than others. At
first they taste drug from their curiosity. Later, many of them turned into
drug addicted.

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Due to psychological disorder people become frustrated and thus they
may be addicted to drug to forget their frustration or depression..
Unexpected event, sorrow, refusal from affairs makes a man
psychologically ill and for this reason people may be addicted to drug.

Poverty is the main cause of drug. Who cannot lead a happiness life he
must feel inferior and want to drive his problem? In a research finds that,
most of the people become addicted to the drug for poverty and lack of
property or full of property. Drug helps him to ignore his sorrows or
emotion. But in case of property he willingly wants to abuse money and
the drug testing is the main cause of it.

Different society has different cultural and religious tradition. In different

cultural festival a common tradition is taking alcohol, cannabis, and other
drug.

There are some religious festivals where drug is common. In the festivals
of different tribal society, people use drug as a part of their festival. Social
status: Sometimes people take drugs due to their social status. Higher-
class young people take alcohol and other drugs to maintain their status in
the friend circle. They believe that taking drug is a fashion for higher-class
people. Day by day they become more addicted and cannot leave it.

One of the important causes of drug addiction is the availability of drug.

Drug trafficking is one of the reason for availability of drugs. The law
enforcement agencies are not well equipped and effective to stop the drug
dealing and trafficking. As a result the drug dealers distribute drugs among
the people and the people become drug addicted by taking this drug.

The unemployed young people are always in depression for their

unemployment. To remove their depression they use drug. Sometime,
unemployed people associate with criminal act and drug addicted gang
and start taking drugs with them. Unconscious about drug: Many people
become drug addicted beyond their consciousness. People use different
medicine for different disease. Longtime use of those medicines make
them dependant on those medicines. Later, they don't continue their
normal life without those medicines.

Day by day, human being losing their social and religious norms, values.

Almost all the religion prohibit drug. Most of the society prohibits taking of
drug. But people lost the norms, values and taking drug. Political cause:
motivated by the political party: Sometimes young people are motivated by
the political person to take drug. Many political leaders are related with
drug trafficking. They distribute this drug through criminal gang to young
people.

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Access affection of parents: Sometimes young people don't care anything

under access affection of their parents. They act as they like. Onetime
they join in the delinquent gang and start taking drug. Less family
interaction: Less family interaction reduces the parental control over the
child and lost the sympathy for their parents. As a result the son/daughter
has the chance to associate with peers and learn how to take drugs.

Quarrel between father, mother and other family members' leads a child to
delinquency. A delinquent child associate with other delinquent peers and
one day they will join in delinquent gang where drug is available for the
gang members.

Long term disease needs long term use of medicine. Day by day the
patient became dependant on the medicine and got addiction with that
medicine.

In the later period, he cannot continue his normal life without that
medicine. 2: Pain or lengthy sleeplessness.3: Insomnia for protection of
dieses, 4: Genetically effects from the ancestor: Sometimes there are
genetically causes for drug addiction. It is said that, the son of a drug
addicted father will be drug addicted.

III. Types of drug found in Bangladesh:

There are three types of drugs available in use in Bangladesh

1. Opium 2. Cannabis 3. Sleeping

pill

a) Heroin a) Ganja a) Tranquilizer

b) Phensidyl b) Chorosh b) Seduxene

c) Tidijesic c) Bhang

d) Pethidine

Specifically in Bangladesh we found many drugs, which are in use by the

abusers. These are :Wine, Ganja, Heroin,Chorosh, Opium, Phensidyl,
Pethidine. Sleeping pills are randomly being used since they can be easily
bought from any nearby medicineshop/pharma and in most cases without
doctor’s prescription. These are: Enoctine, Seduxene,Phenergan,Stemetil,
Laxatin .

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Main Drugs Smuggling Traffic Roots In Bangladesh

Source / Routs
Drugs where from

India, Benapol, Rajshahi to Dhaka and Cox-bazar

Mayanmar, to Chittagong.
Heroin South-East
Asia

Phensid India Every border crossing point in Bangladesh.

yl

India, Every border crossing point in Bangladesh.

Mayanmar, The main root is Rajshahi – Dhaka—
Ganja Naogoan, Chitagong. Teknaf, Chittagong – Dhaka By
and other bus and Train.
district in
Bangladesh.

India, The main route for trafficking wine is

Mayanmar, Chittagong And Cox’s-Bazar by ships and
Wine Europe, also some other border crossing places in
from growth Eastern and Western side. Some times
triangle. they use Mongla port also.

Chorash India and Mainly in to border crossing point.

locality

South East Chittagong, Mongla sea roots, and other

Asia and land roots are used.
Opium Growth
triangle.

Pethidin As a pain relief medicine it’s come from everywhere.

e

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IV. Negative effects due to drug addiction:

The use of illegal drugs and crime go hand in hand. Drug users do
anything to obtain drugs to satisfy their habit. Crimes most frequently
committed by drug users are pick pocketing, theft, robbery, extortion,
prostitution, public nuisance and drug peddling. Many crimes are

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committed under the influence of drugs. Data on drug incidents show the
steady increase of drug addiction and as a natural corollary, these have
their due repercussion in the overall crime incidence in the country.

The number of drug-related arrests, illicit drug seizures and people

seeking medical help have increased during the past decade in
Bangladesh. The problems of drug abuse are related to violence. Crime,
Family disruption, health problems, including interference with normal
reproductive functions, and long-term damage to the brain, heart and
lungs. The most devastating problem associated with drug use is the
spread of HIV among injecting drug users and from injecting drug users to
non-injecting or non-drug users through sexual contact

V. Policy and legislation about drug addiction:

The government of Bangladesh recognises drug addiction as one of the

most serious problems and is firmly committed to supporting international,
regional and bilateral efforts aimed at its prevention and control. The
national drug enforcement policy is embedded in the Narcotics Control Act
1990. The government took measures to amend the Narcotics Control Act
1990 in line with UN Conventions. The major features of drug abuse
prevention and control in this legislation are:

(i)Establishment of the National Narcotics Control Board (NNCB) with the

task of drug addiction prevention and control, and to encourage foreign
and domestic participation in drug control activities;

(ii)Compulsory treatment of drug addiction;

(iii)Establishment of drug treatment centres;

(iv) Obligation of organisations and individuals to supply information on

drug abuse;

(v) Restrictions and control on prescription of certain drugs which lead to

addiction if abused; (vi) Control of production, distribution, prescription,
sale and use of sedative, hypnotic and tranquilliser drugs;

(vii) Classification of scheduling of drugs according to control measures

and intensity of harmful effects;

(viii) Different types of punishment for different drug offences according to

the severity of their nature and quantity of drugs involved;

(ix) Financial investigation of drug crimes;

(x) Freezing and forfeiture of assets of drug traffickers; and

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(xi) Establishment of drug testing laboratory to speed up the trial of drug
cases.

VI. Steps taken by the government of Bangladesh against drug

addiction :

It cover a considerable area of both supply and demand reduction. The

major supply reduction activities in Bangladesh are: (a) Licensing, (b)
Monitoring and Inspection, (c) Intelligence and Enforcement, (d) Crop
Eradication and Destruction of Drugs, (e) Investigation, and (f) Prosecution
and Sanctions.

Licensing, is used in Bangladesh to control the production, processing,

export, import, transport, distribution or sale, use or consumption of
alcohol, spirit, alcohol-containing products, and certain narcotic drugs used
for medical purposes. The total number of different kinds of licenses under
the control of DNC is 3,765. Licensing is an effective method to control
and limit drug-supply facilities, their outlets, locations, types, numbers and
activity-hours.

Monitoring and inspection, of the supply system of drugs is done by

DNC through its field offices. Liquor shops are inspected once a month
and others once a quarter. Officials above the rank of inspector can
inspect any license whenever desired.

Intelligence and enforcement, DNC directly hits the pipeline of drug

supply through its Intelligence and enforcement activities. Police,
customs authorities, and Bangladesh Rifles are also directly doing this job.
DNC carries out its enforcement activities through its 103 circle offices
located throughout the country. Each circle has a six-member staff, which
includes one inspector, one sub-inspector, one assistant sub-inspector
and three sepoys. In spite of its shortage of manpower, scarcity of
necessary equipment and training, DNC detects about 3,000 cases of drug
abuse each year and recovers huge quantities of different kinds of illicit
drugs. During the period between 1993 and 2000, law enforcing agencies
arrested 16,792 persons and seized 80 kg of heroin, 10.13 tons of
cannabis, 210,766 bottles of phensydyl (codeine), 7.5 kg of cocaine,
21,388 ampules of Buprenorphine injection, 44 kg of charash, (THC),

22,388 ampules of pethidine injection, 86,465 litres of ID liquors, and 30,

850 litres of rectified spirit.

Crop eradication, crop substitution and destruction of drugs Because

Bangladesh produces no narcotics drugs, it has no crop eradication or
crop substitution programmes. However, it seizes and destroys the small
amount of cannabis plants cultivated illegally in remote rural areas.

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Number of cannabis plants eradicated during the last seven years is about
348,000.

Investigation, DNC and the police are empowered to investigate drug

cases in Bangladesh. Officers above the rank of inspectors are authorised
to conduct investigations.

Prosecution and sanction, DNC and the police carry out prosecution of
drug cases in courts. Police has inspectors in each magistrate court in
Bangladesh. DNC has 12 prosecutors and 37 assistant prosecutors at 25
regional headquarters. Drug cases are tried in general courts, which are
over-burdened because of thousands of pending cases.

# Conclusion

When a disease breaks out like en epidemic in all segments of the society,
it indicates a social change. In Bangladesh this symptom has been
observed. It is not only the youth, drug addiction has also grabbed the
social leaders. Even the teachers and physicians who are supposed to
guide the society are more or less getting addicted. Law enforcing
agencies and other concerned authorities are in most cases either
refraining from their job or associated with the drug business. Undoubtedly
it is an awesome situation.

Every disease has a cure. We must come out of this monopolistic deadly
game. More intensive research, action program and social movement are
needed. It is also needed to strengthen family and social values and
religious ethics in order to maintain a stable and drug-free society.

We believe that there is a lot to do to stop this social malaise now before
another dangerous symptom appears which is AIDS. After doing all these
we can get our drug-free Bangladesh.

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# Recommendations

During the research it has been found that many people, especially the
youths are eager to get rid of drugs. But unfortunately they can hardly find
any way out. The departments of narcotics control, police, BDR etc. either
do not work or/and even somehow are related to drug smuggling/business.
According to the discussion with the concerned people such as drug
addicted persons, guardians, teachers, policemen and related persons in
the drug business, it is clear that behavioural modification of the addicted
persons is not enough to check the spread of drug taking and drug
trafficking in Bangladesh. The following steps should taken by the
government and society in order to free Bangladesh of drugs.

• Concerned administration should be reshuffled. Culprits, those who are

hidden in the police, BDR and narcotics control department, must be
punished. At the same time, rewards may be declared for good
performance.

• Leaders of social institutions like schools, colleges, clubs etc. should

come forward to build resistance against drugs.

• The NGOs can play a great role in Bangladesh, especially in the

awareness and rehabilitation processes. It is observed by many of the
addicts that, the rehabilitation procedures and costs introduced by the
narcotics department are high and cumbersome. But only a few NGOs
are active.

• The addicts, while talking with the investigators sought treatment to

wipe out the negative effects of drugs.

• Government should start enactment of articles on anti-drug issues in

the text books and newspapers as well as Media campaign against
drugs.

• We have to avoid mixing with bad company.

• Our society should ensure healthy drug free environment.

# List of References
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• Kabir M. Drug addiction: needed immediate corrective measures. The

Daily Star, January 19, 2001.
• Comments of students from Chittagong, The Daily Star, November 04,
2007
• New Nation, Wednesday 28 May, 2008.
• The Daily Star, Saturday, March 14, 2009
• Gulf Times,13 January, 2008.
• Evidence & Information for Policy, Regional Health Forum WHO South-
East Asia Region (Volume 6, Number 2).
• Illegal drug trade, Wikipedia, The free Encyclopedia.
• www.cuil.com.
• www.google.com.
• www.unicef.org.
• www.voanews.com.
• www.unjobs.com.

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