Our drug problem

Pakistan continues its slow struggle with a burgeoning drug problem, and the country’s efforts to control drug trafficking have been appreciated by the UN. Last week, around Rs4.2 billion worth of drugs were seized in 25 operations around the country. The drugs included 6.8 tonnes of hashish, 4.28 kilograms of heroin and 1.48 kilograms of amphetamine. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime representative noted that Pakistan’s efforts had saved thousands of lives around the world. Unfortunately, despite the successes, around 700 people are estimated to die of drug overdose everyday in Pakistan. Statistics show that 8.9 million people in the country are drug addicts. Over three million of these are heroin users, which makes Pakistan the most heroin addicted country in the world. It is high time the fight against drugs became a national priority. Drug trafficking in the country takes place through a number of networks, which have proven hard to crack down on. Mostly, this is due to the authorities’ preferences to go after lower level operators, instead of going after the kingpins of the drug trade. With drugs forming a lucrative but illegal $2 billion industry in Pakistan, the ability of the drug trade to survive is obvious.

Law-enforcement agencies need to take up the fight against drug traffickers with full force. The connection between the narcotics trade and terrorism only amplifies the urgency of stopping the supply side of the drug trade. According to international organisations, around 43 percent of opiates produced in Afghanistan are trafficked through Pakistan. Around five percent of the world’s population use drugs. In 2014, 207,000 people around the world were reported to have died of drug overdose. Overall, the UN has noted that drug use around the world has increased for the first time in recent years. As drug traffickers have begun to rely on more advanced methods, such as the internet and dark web, to peddle drugs without trace, Pakistan still lags behind on checking these more advanced methods of drug trafficking. The legacy of the Afghan war, a porous western border and lack of drug regulation continue to mar our fight against drugs. Law-enforcement efforts will need to be coordinated with a more sympathetic approach towards drug users, which would remove the stigma around drug use and allow them to seek treatment. With drug-related deaths being more than the number of people who are killed by terrorism, this is an important battle for Pakistan’s future.