Since 15 May, it appears, as if, there is an undeclared war going inside the country. The media is abuzz with the ongoing witch-hunt for either drug lords or God- fathers. Death toll under the banner of anti-narcotics drive, as of Friday, stood at 126. As many as ten thousand have been reported to have sent behind bars. The last claim comes directly from the PM from her last press conference with the media.
On top of it, Ramadan being the month of practicing self-control by fasting and praying , the people is also fighting the greater unseen evil. But the difference in the two battles is that the former is an undeclared campaign against mood altering chemicals undertaken when situation goes beyond control, whereas the latter is regularly declared on a specific time every year. However, our victory over the bigger evil is still a far cry, but we somehow manage to seal victories in smaller ones. And let's not talk about Israel's unleashing of innovative deadly weapons in the volatile Middle East.
Nevertheless, this year we are passing through unending battlefields following a great uncertainty over a victory.
In fact, the million dollar questions of the town right now are - when would the countrywide war against drug end? And whether the drive would significantly contribute in tackling illegal trade and consumption of contraband drugs in Bangladesh?
Easy said than done, the ongoing drive is obviously disrupting the normal course of trade, transport and sales of illicit drugs in the country. The entire chain of smugglers to consumers have become tensed and alert, however, coming to the long-term solution - what the drive lacks is a clear vision - especially, when it comes to the manufacturing, supply and distribution chain of the 'pink demon' , otherwise Yaba.
What this writer misses right now, is an all-out coordinated approach to combat drug addiction in the country. That said - physicians, psychiatrists, rehabilitation centres and foremost the media should have actively participated in the drive to give it a momentum. What usually happens during an undeclared drive is that a bottleneck slows down the drug supply chain temporarily, the price shoots up, and the selling hubs are often relocated undercover. But more than these there are couple of other factors that are often ignored in the wake of such drives. First, the innumerable many substandard so-called rehabilitation centres scattered in the country become overcrowded, and secondly dependency on supplementary or secondary chemical substitutes and alcohol shoots-up at an alarming rate for a short period.
Questions involuntarily arise, what are being done to address the stated situations? And it is perhaps right on this point where it becomes crucial in understanding how (not) to combat drugs in the place of how to combat it. The global reality says a different story; most of the countries with drug problems have shifted their policies and focus. Rather amazingly, all these countries have decriminalised drug use from the realisation that for a drug user it is a health issue and not a matter of morality. It is similar to - if you have diabetes you should not blame the person but threat the disease. Accordingly they are re-designing their narcotics policies and guidelines. They are attempting to address the issue at the very core, whereas we have retorted by applying brute force.
The illegitimate drug trade in Bangladesh has been established by following a system, pattern and discipline for well over a couple of decades following direct and indirect sponsorship of dodgy businessmen and law enforcers. Politicians have been added to the list in recent times. Likewise, we need a similar amount of time (if not more), discipline and dexterity to bring the illegal trade under control. Most importantly, we must draw lesson from other countries' success stories while sharing our experience with them. However, the drive must remain as a part of a steady crackdown course of action.
In a surprising manner one can compare the illegal drug trade with the illegal extortion trade in our big cities, and both drugs and extortion have been institutionalized and regularized at such levels, it has become extremely difficult to control them, let alone eliminate them for good. Take for instance, the institutionalization of extraction charged from hawkers in our footpaths. None can stop them since they have been made integrated in the hawkers' trade mechanism.
Before drawing the final lines, drug like any other illegal trade has its own economy. Yaba alone has an industry with an estimated price of more than Tk, 6,000 cr , and the industry including Phensidyl, Heroin, and others would understandably stand at somewhere ranging Tk, 10 , 000 cr. This sinister economy has to be separated and replaced with an alternate economy since many thousands of non-users have become dependent from the illegal earnings. Not to forget drug money is risky money but easy money too.
Last of all, battles are fought to win. If they pave the path to a full-fledged war, it's time we re-think our strategies and get equipped for lengthy conflicts. No point in wasting ammos fighting losing battles.
The writer is Assistant Editor,
The Daily Observer
