The drug disaster

As with so much else that ails the nation, the drug problem lacks a policy framework and supporting legislation

When the topic of problems facing Bangladesh come up genrally people talk about political unrest, crime, economic instability, poor standard of education etc. One of grave problem facing the country, especially its youth is swept under carpet more often than not. Yes it is substance abuse which has taken epidemic proportions. Actually it is not just the youth even pre-teens and middle aged people are taking drugs in greater number than ever before. The percentage of women who abuse drugs has also increased manifolds. According to surveys by rights activists and organisations, over two million of the 166,280,712 Bangladeshi population is addicted to drugs, and that may be a conservative figure.
To be frank drugs were always there in our society. In the novels of Sarat Chandra Chatterji we come across characters who smoked cannabis or imbibed opium. In fact opium had a sort of social acceptance especially among the elderly. Ganja though was was smoked mostly by lower caste Hindus like doms or bagdis. Afsan Chowdhury writes “It was no secret that most thought that ganja was a treatment for that strange emotion which the womb of expectation holds. The seventies made dope respectable even if it fail to do that to the revolution. Dope was snatched from the lips of low caste Hindus and its smoke passed through middle class nostrils. It was born first in the fields. The next time it was reborn on so many young, unhappy lips. Thus was ganja twice-born.” It’s not only ganja that was the drug of choice among the youth. There was also the sedative cal Mandrax.
One of the most important poets of the period Nirmalundu Goon said:
“Today’s Sunday
Today’s a holiday
Today it’s Mandrax
It’s only Mandrax.”
 Actually substance abuse has been prevalent in every society. Even in the most conservative of societies there are people who regularly indulge in it. In the relatively permissive Western societies drug abuse is surely more frequent, but that does not mean people don’t indulges in societies like ours.
In the 1990s came Heroin, perhaps the first hard core drug in Bangladesh. The highly addictive powdery staff also known as ‘brown sugar’ came to the scene and destroyed many lives. However by some distance the most popular drug in Bangladesh –until quite recently– was the codeine based cough syrup Phensydyl. Though many did not consider it a hard core drug regular intake of the staff has disastrous consequences. When taken as intended, cough and cold medicines safely treat symptoms of lower and upper respiratory congestion and discomfort caused by colds and flu. But when taken in higher quantities or when such symptoms aren’t present, they may affect the brain in ways very similar to illegal drugs. Codeine attaches to the same cell receptors targeted by illegal opioids like heroin. Consuming more than the daily recommended therapeutic dose of promethazine-codeine cough syrup can produce euphoria similar to that produced by other opioids drugs; people addicted to codeine may consume several times the recommended, safe amount. When abused, promethazine-codeine cough syrup presents a high risk of fatal overdose due to its effect of depressing the central nervous system, which can slow or stop the heart and lungs. Mixing with alcohol greatly increases this risk. The Indian government had earlier in the year banned the cough syrup Phensydyl and Corex, among a host of drugs. But the Delhi High Court on March 16 granted an interim injunction to drugmaker Abbott against the government action. The pro and con of banning a drug would be taken up by the court. But in this part of the world, the border guards were heaving a sigh of relief that they would have to cope with one less headache -- a premature sigh, it would now seem. Because Phensydyl is smuggled across to Bangladesh for its addictive quality. The codeine-laced cough syrup is consumed in large quantities, against the recommended small doses, to get a kick.
Dhaka had urged New Delhi to ban the drug that is manufactured in India. With a bottle (100ml/Rs.97 equivalent to $1.5) fetching nearly 10 times its Indian market price in Bangladesh, Phensydyl smuggling has been a lucrative industry involving a number of gangs operating across the over 4,000 km Indo-Bangladesh frontier. West Bengal, which shares over 2,200 km of the border with the neighbour, has been a major area of operation for the illicit trade. According to the Bangladesh Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna and Rajshahi are widely affected by Phensydyl addiction, with Rajshahi being the major market for the drug's clandestine trade. Considered a serious offence in Bangladesh, Phensydyl peddling is punishable with life imprisonment.
As per the latest report by the DNC, over 700 litres of Phensydyl was seized across Bangladesh between 2010 and 2015, with 384 litres being seized in 2015 alone. In the last three years, the BSF had seized nearly 700,000 bottles of Phensedyl worth about Rs. 7 crore. Not only is Phensydyl smuggled across the border, several units had come up in South Bengal to illegally manufacture the spurious syrup. The BSF had destroyed several such units near the South Bengal frontier.
The use Yaba, a narcotic drug, has increased in the country by 77 times over the part six years. In the urban areas this is the drug of choice. The recipe of Yaba is available on the Net and the drug is being manufactured in Bangladesh. Unlike cocaine or heroin, which have to be grown, yaba can be "cooked" using utensils and ingredients available over the counter - cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, rock salt, solvents, ammonia and coffee filters. Yaba is composed of easily accessible ingredients which can be purchased over-the-counter at local drugstores. Its production is inexpensive, and the drug can be fabricated in a home-made laboratory, as is often the case. Compared to other well-known drugs such as cannabis and cocaine, the stimulant yaba has more rapidly gained popularity among the country’s youth.
By the time a yaba pill reaches the hands of an addict in Dhaka from the factories in Myanmar – the biggest producer of the methamphetamine tablets in the world – it has passed through at least eight to 10 people.
This means that the trade of the contraband drug has been the source of income for a lot more people than the trades of cannabis, cocaine and phensidyl have ever been. According to unofficial counts, there are around half a million yaba consumers in the Dhaka city alone. Yaba is said to have been originally used by Hitler who gave it to his soldiers to combat against fatigue, heighten endurance and elevate the mood.
This Nazi lineage has given the drug street credibility like nothing before it. Like other forms of methamphetamine, long-term abuse of yaba can produce strong dependence. Users develop tolerance and require increasing amounts of the drug to feel the same effects. Excessive doses can result in convulsions, seizures and death from respiratory failure, stroke or heart failure. The drug can trigger aggressive and violent behaviour, and psychiatric disorders have also been associated with its use. Nobody sets out in life to become a drug addict or substance abuser; it is a gradual process, though poverty and unemployment are regularly cited in international studies as to the reasons why people become addicted or substance abusers. Every country in the world has a drug problem, there are no exceptions. Bangladesh has a particularly vulnerable population of poorly educated people under 30 years, primarily male, but there is a significant minority of females who are also vulnerable, especially sex workers. As with so much else that ails the nation, the drug problem lacks a policy framework and supporting legislation.
Another problem exacerbating the situation is the society’s and by extension, the state’s misguided approach towards drug abuse. A drug addict is not viewed as a member of society in need of help, but cast out and condemned as a hopeless delinquent. In a way, the person is reduced to and defined through the product that they are consuming. Derogatory terms such as ‘dail khor’ and ‘ganjutti’ have become a part of routine language, which only goes on to show how we view drug addiction, and specifically, addicts. Passing judgments and shouting insult may be tempting, but it helps no one. The alarming callousness of successive governments in setting up rehabilitation centres guarantees that those stuck in the cycle remain there for good. Most organisations that offer treatment are non-governmental, and they are not reaching the majority of users. For many, they are either too far away or far too expensive. Some don’t offer effective or approved rehabilitation programmes, but focus on keeping the victim at the center for as long as possible, away from drugs as they charge heavily in exchange for unsatisfactory services.
This works only for as long as the user stays at the facility. As soon as they are out, they are on their way to come back again. The government should not only do its part and set up cheap and where necessary, free rehabilitation centres but also scrutinize currently operating NGOs. By not effectively dealing with it, it is failing to fulfil its responsibility towards victims and leaving the rest of the country ever more vulnerable to the wide-ranging and disastrous effects of drugs.

The writer is Assistant Editor of The Independent and can be contacted at: [email protected]

The drug disaster

As with so much else that ails the nation, the drug problem lacks a policy framework and supporting legislation

When the topic of problems facing Bangladesh come up genrally people talk about political unrest, crime, economic instability, poor standard of education etc. One of grave problem facing the country, especially its youth is swept under carpet more often than not. Yes it is substance abuse which has taken epidemic proportions. Actually it is not just the youth even pre-teens and middle aged people are taking drugs in greater number than ever before. The percentage of women who abuse drugs has also increased manifolds. According to surveys by rights activists and organisations, over two million of the 166,280,712 Bangladeshi population is addicted to drugs, and that may be a conservative figure. To be frank drugs were always there in our society. In the novels of Sarat Chandra Chatterji we come across characters who smoked cannabis or imbibed opium. In fact opium had a sort of social acceptance especially among the elderly. Ganja though was was smoked mostly by lower caste Hindus like doms or bagdis. Afsan Chowdhury writes It was no secret that most thought that ganja was a treatment for that strange emotion which the womb of expectation holds. The seventies made dope respectable even if it fail to do that to the revolution. Dope was snatched from the lips of low caste Hindus and its smoke passed through middle class nostrils. It was born first in the fields. The next time it was reborn on so many young, unhappy lips. Thus was ganja twice-born. Its not only ganja that was the drug of choice among the youth. There was also the sedative cal Mandrax. One of the most important poets of the period Nirmalundu Goon said: Todays Sunday Todays a holiday Today its Mandrax Its only Mandrax. Actually substance abuse has been prevalent in every society. Even in the most conservative of societies there are people who regularly indulge in it. In the relatively permissive Western societies drug abuse is surely more frequent, but that does not mean people dont indulges in societies like ours. In the 1990s came Heroin, perhaps the first hard core drug in Bangladesh. The highly addictive powdery staff also known as brown sugar came to the scene and destroyed many lives. However by some distance the most popular drug in Bangladesh until quite recently was the codeine based cough syrup Phensydyl. Though many did not consider it a hard core drug regular intake of the staff has disastrous consequences. When taken as intended, cough and cold medicines safely treat symptoms of lower and upper respiratory congestion and discomfort caused by colds and flu. But when taken in higher quantities or when such symptoms arent present, they may affect the brain in ways very similar to illegal drugs. Codeine attaches to the same cell receptors targeted by illegal opioids like heroin. Consuming more than the daily recommended therapeutic dose of promethazine-codeine cough syrup can produce euphoria similar to that produced by other opioids drugs; people addicted to codeine may consume several times the recommended, safe amount. When abused, promethazine-codeine cough syrup presents a high risk of fatal overdose due to its effect of depressing the central nervous system, which can slow or stop the heart and lungs. Mixing with alcohol greatly increases this risk. The Indian government had earlier in the year banned the cough syrup Phensydyl and Corex, among a host of drugs. But the Delhi High Court on March 16 granted an interim injunction to drugmaker Abbott against the government action. The pro and con of banning a drug would be taken up by the court. But in this part of the world, the border guards were heaving a sigh of relief that they would have to cope with one less headache -- a premature sigh, it would now seem. Because Phensydyl is smuggled across to Bangladesh for its addictive quality. The codeine-laced cough syrup is consumed in large quantities, against the recommended small doses, to get a kick. Dhaka had urged New Delhi to ban the drug that is manufactured in India. With a bottle (100ml/Rs.97 equivalent to $1.5) fetching nearly 10 times its Indian market price in Bangladesh, Phensydyl smuggling has been a lucrative industry involving a number of gangs operating across the over 4,000 km Indo-Bangladesh frontier. West Bengal, which shares over 2,200 km of the border with the neighbour, has been a major area of operation for the illicit trade. According to the Bangladesh Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna and Rajshahi are widely affected by Phensydyl addiction, with Rajshahi being the major market for the drugs clandestine trade. Considered a serious offence in Bangladesh, Phensydyl peddling is punishable with life imprisonment. As per the latest report by the DNC, over 700 litres of Phensydyl was seized across Bangladesh between 2010 and 2015, with 384 litres being seized in 2015 alone. In the last three years, the BSF had seized nearly 700,000 bottles of Phensedyl worth about Rs. 7 crore. Not only is Phensydyl smuggled across the border, several units had come up in South Bengal to illegally manufacture the spurious syrup. The BSF had destroyed several such units near the South Bengal frontier. The use Yaba, a narcotic drug, has increased in the country by 77 times over the part six years. In the urban areas this is the drug of choice. The recipe of Yaba is available on the Net and the drug is being manufactured in Bangladesh. Unlike cocaine or heroin, which have to be grown, yaba can be cooked using utensils and ingredients available over the counter - cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, rock salt, solvents, ammonia and coffee filters. Yaba is composed of easily accessible ingredients which can be purchased over-the-counter at local drugstores. Its production is inexpensive, and the drug can be fabricated in a home-made laboratory, as is often the case. Compared to other well-known drugs such as cannabis and cocaine, the stimulant yaba has more rapidly gained popularity among the countrys youth. By the time a yaba pill reaches the hands of an addict in Dhaka from the factories in Myanmar the biggest producer of the methamphetamine tablets in the world it has passed through at least eight to 10 people. This means that the trade of the contraband drug has been the source of income for a lot more people than the trades of cannabis, cocaine and phensidyl have ever been. According to unofficial counts, there are around half a million yaba consumers in the Dhaka city alone. Yaba is said to have been originally used by Hitler who gave it to his soldiers to combat against fatigue, heighten endurance and elevate the mood. This Nazi lineage has given the drug street credibility like nothing before it. Like other forms of methamphetamine, long-term abuse of yaba can produce strong dependence. Users develop tolerance and require increasing amounts of the drug to feel the same effects. Excessive doses can result in convulsions, seizures and death from respiratory failure, stroke or heart failure. The drug can trigger aggressive and violent behaviour, and psychiatric disorders have also been associated with its use. Nobody sets out in life to become a drug addict or substance abuser; it is a gradual process, though poverty and unemployment are regularly cited in international studies as to the reasons why people become addicted or substance abusers. Every country in the world has a drug problem, there are no exceptions. Bangladesh has a particularly vulnerable population of poorly educated people under 30 years, primarily male, but there is a significant minority of females who are also vulnerable, especially sex workers. As with so much else that ails the nation, the drug problem lacks a policy framework and supporting legislation. Another problem exacerbating the situation is the societys and by extension, the states misguided approach towards drug abuse. A drug addict is not viewed as a member of society in need of help, but cast out and condemned as a hopeless delinquent. In a way, the person is reduced to and defined through the product that they are consuming. Derogatory terms such as dail khor and ganjutti have become a part of routine language, which only goes on to show how we view drug addiction, and specifically, addicts. Passing judgments and shouting insult may be tempting, but it helps no one. The alarming callousness of successive governments in setting up rehabilitation centres guarantees that those stuck in the cycle remain there for good. Most organisations that offer treatment are non-governmental, and they are not reaching the majority of users. For many, they are either too far away or far too expensive. Some dont offer effective or approved rehabilitation programmes, but focus on keeping the victim at the center for as long as possible, away from drugs as they charge heavily in exchange for unsatisfactory services. This works only for as long as the user stays at the facility. As soon as they are out, they are on their way to come back again. The government should not only do its part and set up cheap and where necessary, free rehabilitation centres but also scrutinize currently operating NGOs. By not effectively dealing with it, it is failing to fulfil its responsibility towards victims and leaving the rest of the country ever more vulnerable to the wide-ranging and disastrous effects of drugs. The writer is Assistant Editor of The Independent and can be contacted at: [email protected]