Nearly 8.2 million in Bangladesh addicted to drugs, minister says

Nearly 8.2 million people in Bangladesh are struggling with illicit drug addiction, a figure representing 4.88 percent of the country's total population, according to Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed. Speaking at a secretariat program, Ahmed cited a study supervised by the Department of Narcotics Control, emphasizing that the problem has been exacerbated by the emergence of new synthetic and semi-synthetic drugs.

The minister expressed concern over the increasing number of young people dependent on drugs, stressing the urgent need for treatment. He outlined the government's commitment to improving and expanding access to drug addiction treatment services. This includes increasing the number of beds at state-run addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers in Dhaka's Tejgaon area and in three divisional cities.

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The emergence of new synthetic and semi-synthetic drugs has further intensified the problem. A large number of young people have become dependent on drugs and require immediate treatment.

Furthermore, the government is actively working on upgrading the Central Drug Addiction Treatment Centre in Dhaka into a 250-bed facility. A significant initiative involves a Tk 1,413 crore project to establish 200-bed drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers in seven divisional cities: Chattogram, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal, Rangpur, Sylhet, and Mymensingh.

Despite these efforts, the home minister acknowledged that the available government treatment facilities remain insufficient given the scale of drug addiction in the country. He also urged private drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers to adhere strictly to relevant regulations and national guidelines.

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Government treatment facilities are still inadequate compared with the number of drug addicts in the country.