Dr. Munir Uddin Ahmad Almost every country in the world has a drug problem. Drugs and drug addiction have become a national problem in Bangladesh as well. Most drug addicts in the country are teenagers and young adults. If a significant part of the youth on which the country's education, development, progress and future depends, go astray in drug addiction, there is enough reason to worry about the future of the country. It has become imperative to protect our youth from this terrible curse.
A parent came to my office with his university student. When asked about the problem, the gentleman said that his child has been very sick for the past few months. Looking at the student I also thought he was really sick. I asked how I could help them. The gentleman said that due to illness, his child has stopped eating and drinking, is unable to continue his studies and is not preparing for the exam. Not doing class for a long time. So now there is no change other than dropping the semester. I tried to find out from the student what kind of illness he was suffering from. The boy is silent. He did not answer even after asking many times. I tried to reassure him that being a pharmacist by profession, I might be able to help him if I knew about the problem. The boy said in a crying voice, he is addicted to drugs. He has become addicted to drugs in Sangadosh for a long time. Since his addiction to drugs, his life has become unusual and miserable. All the time he felt that he would not live much longer. I first guessed such a problem from his appearance. After hearing the details from the student, I got to know that he lives in Narayanganj, he has been taking Yaba for two years, the price of each pink Yaba is 250 taka, Yaba is widely sold in Dhaka and outside Dhaka cities and Mofswal areas.
Hundreds of young people and even minors take Yaba. Many lives have been endangered due to taking this drug. According to a statistic conducted in 1989, the number of drug addicts in Bangladesh is about two and a half million. It is said that this number has increased many times, although no one has a clear idea about the actual number of drug users. According to the statistics, 15 percent of drug users are under 20, 66 percent are between 20-30 years, 16 percent are 30-40 years and 4 percent are 40 and above. Drugs are not produced in Bangladesh. Due to its geographical location, Bangladesh is used as a transit point for all types of smuggling and drug trafficking.
Presenting a brief introduction to the drug. The crude decayed substance obtained from the opium poppy is called opium. Isolating and purifying opium yields twenty different chemical compounds. The most well-known of the ingredients is morphine. Codeine is another natural substance derived from opium. Heroin is not a natural substance. Heroin is prepared by chemical conversion of morphine. Pethidine is a well-known synthetic drug. Pethidine is widely used to induce sleep and relieve muscle spasms. The social use and abuse of cocaine is well known. Amphetamine is a highly abused substance around the world as it is also a euphoric performance enhancer. Marijuana, hashish, tetrahydrocannabinol, LSD, barbiturates and alcohol occupy an important place in the list of drugs of the cannabis group. As a drug, the most recent name in Bangladesh is Phencidyl, abbreviated to drug addicts as Dyle. Phencidyl was manufactured by May & Baker as a sweetened cough syrup. Phencidil was banned and banned in Bangladesh under the 1982 Drug Policy. Since then, the production of phencidyl in Bangladesh has been stopped, but a large amount of phencidyl is being smuggled into Bangladesh every day from neighboring India. But not as a medicine, as a drug. Each five milliliter of Phensidyl syrup contains 9 mg of codeine phosphate, 7.2 mg of ephedrine hydrochloride and 3.6 mg of promethazine hydrochloride. As a cough medicine, the usual dose is one to two teaspoonfuls or five to ten milliliters each time. Phencidyl has addictive properties when used in overdose. Because of this, youths or drug addicts become addicted to Phencidyl because it is cheap and easily available. Phencidyl has emerged as a serious problem of modern times. Phencidyl trade and addiction continue to cause terror and murder across the country.
Yaba is a dangerous drug like other addictive and body-damaging drugs. Yaba is a mixture of methyl amphetamine or methamphetamine and caffeine. Caffeine is a very familiar substance to us. Tea and coffee contain caffeine. Caffeine is a mild central nervous system stimulant. Usually we drink caffeinated tea or coffee to relieve tension. Tea or coffee is beneficial for many to increase performance and awareness. Methyl amphetamine is a highly addictive brain stimulant or stimulant. Yaba is also known as Crazy Medicine in Thailand. East and Southeast Asia are famous for producing yaba.
Yaba is usually prepared in tablet or pill form. The color of the tablet is very bright and attractive. Red-pink and green colors are mainly used in the preparation of tablets. Different colors are added along with different fruit flavors or fragrances to increase the attractiveness and cutability of tablets. Yaba tablets use 'R' and 'WY' logos. In most cases yaba is taken orally. Yaba tablets are often grapefruit-orange and vanilla candy-flavored, making yaba mouthfuls more appealing to addicts. There is another simple method of taking Yaba. This method is called chasing. In this method drugs such as yaba, morphine or heroin are placed in aluminum foil and heated. The heat of the fire melts the drug and turns into a vapor. These vapors are inhaled by drug addicts through the nose or mouth. Many times, drug addicts break the tablet into powder and inhale it through the nose or inject it into the body by mixing the powder with a solvent.
As a result of drug abuse, billions of young people, teenagers, young adults and women around the world are suffering and suffering from drug addiction. Opium and morphine use was widespread in the United States until the nineteenth century. The invention of the hypodermic syringe in 1859 added a new dimension to drug use. Drug addiction increased manifold as a result of the discovery of a method of injecting drugs directly into the bloodstream instead of burning and inhaling the drug.
Almost every country in the world has a drug problem. Drugs and drug addiction have become a national problem in Bangladesh as well. Most drug addicts in the country are teenagers and young adults. If a significant part of the youth on which the country's education, development, progress and future depends, go astray in drug addiction, there is enough reason to worry about the future of the country. It has become imperative to protect our youth from this terrible curse. A couple of suggestions in this regard.
One, most of the school, college or university going teenagers, young men and women often start taking drugs without thinking or knowing about the harmful effects of drugs. What they don't know is that drug withdrawal is not easy once addiction and dependence have developed, and drug withdrawal has serious side effects. Therefore, it is necessary to give adequate understanding to fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, relatives or teachers about the harmful effects of drugs on boys and girls.
Second, the problem of drug use is more psychological than social or state. All problems of adolescents, young adults or children of growing age should be taken into consideration. If necessary, parents, brothers and sisters, relatives or teachers and students should come forward with the attitude of help and cooperation. In underdeveloped countries like ours, the distance between parents and teachers is more. Distance often leads to misunderstandings. Mutual values and respect deteriorate. These personal, family or social problems can play a major role behind drug addiction.
Third, it is advisable to regularly disseminate pictorial reports on the causes and consequences of drug abuse in educational institutions and various public gatherings. National media and newspapers must play an effective role in creating awareness about drugs.
Four, before the harmful effects of drugs and drug addiction in Bangladesh reach a more dire level, urgent and effective measures must be taken. Government can take help of NGOs to create and increase anti-drug awareness. As the drug problem is serious in all SAARC countries, especially in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal, it is necessary to take joint initiatives to control drugs on the basis of regional cooperation. Strict border controls are needed to stop smuggling.
Five, treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts is a complex, costly and necessary step. If this step is implemented effectively, it is hoped that many people will be inspired to return to a healthy and normal life from this dark world of crime.
Establishing a drug-free society and state will be the toughest challenge of this century. To face this challenge, people of all communities of all countries of the world must be motivated and work together. Otherwise, it does not seem that humanity can be saved from the terrible harmful effects of drugs. (We are calling everyone to come forward to save us from the scourge of drugs. We are also a soldier in creating a drug-free society - this article is published today to express that mentality.)
Dr. Muniruddin Ahmad : Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy, Dhaka University and Pro-VC, East West University. drmuniruddin@yahoo.com
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