The drug addictions are destroying family coherence, thereby disarraying the very fabric of society, and leading to substantial cases of homicide which is ultimately an obstacle to economic growth by paralyzing youth and destroying their employability.
Despite all efforts, the spreading net of narcotics has proved difficult to break as ruling party politicians – some lawmakers, a section of law enforcers, and border guards are involved with this illicit trade. Each year, the nationals waste around Tk 60,000 crore for drugs whose social cost and economic cost for due to work hours lost defies all estimates.
Social protests that existed previously, have waned which helped to bolster the morale of drug kingpins and traffickers. In fact, the illicit net is run by a politically and administratively powerful group.
A vernacular daily reported that different types of narcotics, mostly Yaba and Phensidyl, are being openly sold and bought at around 1000 points in the capital and the number is innumerable across the entire country. Such a flood of narcotics in the country has engulfed 70 lakh nationals and it is feared that the number might be one crore by 2020.
The drug traders are continuously changing tactics and methods to spread their illegal markets across the country. They now traffic drugs by using guilelessness of children, women, elderly people, third gender, and even handicapped people.
The traders in some cases stick “Executive Magistrate”, “Police”, “Detective Branch” written insignia on vehicles to securely traffic drugs, while, train, launch, bus and other public transports are used largely. The most powerful and secured drug syndicate exists in Cox’s Bazar where lawmakers, law enforcers, border guards, and ruling party men have merged into drug syndicates for making fortune at the cost of destroying the youth generation. All the 32 bordering districts have turned into a warehouse of drugs while border guards wishfully fail to prevent the smuggling of narcotics from India and Myanmar. Bangladesh government over the last few years requested the Indian government to destroy the drug factories alongside the border but no improvement has been achieved, an ironic sign of intimate friendship!
Drug addiction with its all-pervading impact on human body makes addicts emotionally and physically inconsistent and violent, thus the social fabric is being reshaped. The law enforcing agencies seen vigilant by day and night to deter drug trafficking, and seized hauls of Yaba and other narcotics but the seizure is the only a tip of large iceberg. The government is set to toughen the Narcotics Control Act 1990 by awarding capital punishment for drug traders and traffickers but social and cultural movement against drugs and moral guidance are seriously absent. We believe only tough laws will not prevent the drug addiction. Intimate family bondage with youths, religious teaching, social protest, cultural awareness, and rules of law, which can bulldoze the drug estate are must to get rid of the menace. Besides, border guards of Bangladesh must prevent the sneak of the drugs from other side of border and the neighbouring country must destroy the factories alongside the border.
