How many addicts are there in Bangladesh? As per official data, the number is around 8 million, but health workers and NGOs estimate it to be nearer to 10 million. In other words, approximately 7-8% of the population are regular drug users.
Researchers say that even this estimate falls short of reality, as it primarily accounts for visible social settings (such as university campuses and slums) and many are left out. The middle class, the vast rural populace and women remain largely unreached by drug prevalence surveys.
The narcotics economy is a multi-billion-dollar one, thus, tens of millions of users are needed to sustain this multinational business. While the exact figure remains unknown, it is close to at least 10% of the population-translating to roughly 18 - 20 million people.
The vast majority of drug users are males aged between 15 and 35 (accounting for 75% to 80% of users. However, field workers note that data regarding female drug users remains severely underreported.
Historically, cannabis was the most common drug in Bengal, and many believe it still holds the top spot. However, the use of "Yaba" has skyrocketed among people of all ages and classes. Additionally, though Phensedyl, heroin, sleeping pills, and injectable drugs are relatively less, their presence is widespread.
Is This Condition Caused by a Social Crisis?
Conventional factors-such as economic frustration or competition in the job market, sexual frustration, personal tragedies are commonly blamed. Peer pressure and social anxiety are also cited. However, fact-finders are reluctant to admit that the inclination to consume drugs for recreational purposes has risen-and continues to rise-significantly. Substance abuse has now become far more socially acceptable. Furthermore, the global nature of drug availability is rarely discussed in Bangladesh.
For instance, while urban poverty is a driver of drug use, it has always been present. The acceptance of drug consumption-especially among the poor-has been tolerated by Bengali society for centuries. The shift lies in the kind of drugs. it has evolved from natural intoxicants -cannabis, opium, bhang- to synthetic drugs. This is no longer a neighbourhood-level business; it has transformed the sector into a multinational corporate one where the supply chain plays the most crucial role.
Geopolitical Connections and Expansion
Bangladesh is situated right between two global drug production hubs: the "Golden Triangle" (Southeast Asia) and the "Golden Crescent" (South Asia). Bangladesh's borders with India and Myanmar are extremely porous, and internal informal supply networks-run by powerful local cartels-span across the entire country. Street addicts and small-time pushers bear the brunt of law enforcement, yet they represent merely the smallest cog in this massive domestic and regional market system.
Because this is a billion-dollar business, merely grieving or lamenting over moral right and wrong accomplishes nothing. It makes no difference to this trade.
The China Connection
The production of Yaba requires specific chemicals, which are primarily sourced from China. Research and monitoring organizations-including the International Crisis Group-report that traffickers smuggle these chemicals into Myanmar through the vulnerable Yunnan border along China and Myanmar. While China enforces strict measures against drugs entering its own borders, it turns a blind eye to the flow of narcotics into Thailand, India, and Bangladesh.
Various "rebel" groups within Myanmar-such as the Chin National Army, the Arakan Army, and even the Myanmar Junta forces themselves-are involved in this large-scale production and distribution across the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
But things are changing. While China previously indulged this network as a strategic move to maintain its regional influence in South Asia, its stance is now shifting. China is actively attempting to dismantle these networks because organised crime operations and cross-border spillover have begun to threaten its own internal security.
This surge in synthetic drugs has led to high addiction rates and increased money laundering along China's own southern border. Consequently, they are being forced to launch crackdowns against the trade. Nevertheless, because the business is so deeply entrenched, it has managed to adapt with alternative arrangements and continues to thrive.
Mode of the Drug System": From Cannabis to Ice`
The internal drug supply network in Bangladesh involves law enforcement agencies, political leaders, and commercially influential groups, rendering it exceptionally safe. It is a low-risk, high-profit sector. It is no longer viewed as a criminal act because, in Bangladesh, everything-including governance-is treated as a business or trade. As a result, it enjoys institutional impunity and protection. Everyone profits from it.
It involves all classes and sections economically. One can earn far more money selling drugs than by working for a daily wage. While a few do get caught, their number is so small compared to the total number involved that almost everyone is willing to take the risk.
Unlike the earlier local level ganja trade, synthetic drug trade is a multinational affair. Modern supply chains, diversified franchises, digital payment systems like bKash/Nagad are used to market drugs to every social layer from universities to rural villages.
Traditional values are no longer social barriers either. When any society undergoes rapid modernisation, religion and drug addiction often grow simultaneously. They serve as two different outlets to cope with high anxiety and stress.
Class Culture and Drugs
The rise in recreational drug use across all social strata proves that the issue is not confined to the urban wealthy or the poor. Drugs now serve many social needs too.
The Upper Class: They consume drugs like Ice, cocaine, and expensive liquor-viewing them as recreation and a status symbol. For both young and old of both gender, drug parties offer an entertaining escape from social restrictions.
The Middle Class: Caught by the pressures of economic mobility while carrying the weight of social expectations, they view Yaba not merely as a stimulant, but as a social driver and social identity profiling.
The Lower Class: They use lower-grade Yaba. They face less social stigma regarding drug use, and for them, it serves as a cheap form of entertainment that also helps them to work long hours.
Historical Shift
Society and the economy are evolving, making many social models of previous eras inapplicable. This transition in Bangladesh is part of a broader global structural shift. However, instead of leaning into skill development and innovation, Bangladeshis are turning to synthetic stimulants and escapism to cope with stress or to indulge in the immediate moment.
Whether they will be able to adapt to the ruthless demands of this historical shift remains to be seen. Only time will tell but the race is on.
