It is a widespread concern that in Sri Lanka’s efforts to deal with the economic crisis and also the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, which involved the country utilising almost all the resources that it could get its hands on, the country has, to a considerable extent, lost the ability to pay attention and allocate resources for other pressing issues that existed even before the two said crises. With recent reports about the country’s drug issue having worsened, especially through newer types of destructive drugs entering the country, there is a question as to whether the country’s anti-drug efforts against drugs too requires more attention and resources.

The Daily Morning, yesterday (30), quoting the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB), reported that an alarming increase in the use of narcotics in the country has been observed. As per reports, 67,900 people have been arrested in connection with narcotics related offences between January and October of last year (2022). Noting that 52% of these arrestees had been arrested for being in possession of heroin and 37% of them had been arrested for cannabis related offences, while 6,728 individuals had been arrested with crystal methamphetamine (known also as ‘Ice’), the NDDCB’s Director General (DG) Bhadrani Senanayake opined that these figures imply a substantial increase in the use and spread of heroin, cannabis and ‘Ice’.

In this matter, rehabilitation efforts take a special place, as, according to the NDDCB, despite the estimated existence of at least 100,000 heroin users and around 350,000 cannabis users in the country, merely 4,000 of them access treatments and rehabilitation annually. In addition, the facilities that are available at treatment and rehabilitation centres, especially for female drug users, are inadequate.

This alarming situation points towards the need for increased, and more importantly, updated and more effective anti-drug efforts. In addition to the above mentioned situation, the fact that the way Sri Lanka deals with its drug menace being rather outdated is a concerning situation which has been pointed out before. Many parties have stressed that it should be improved, especially through adopting an approach that takes into account rehabilitating drug users’ withdrawal symptoms and which facilitates the smooth management of the same thorough a scientific and practical manner, instead of the prevailing system that has adopted a rather rapid approach. A part of this process needs to also look into empowering drug users to be not just “victims” but “survivors” and also contributing to change the social stigma associated with drug use. Awareness raising, especially through new technology and in an innovative manner, plays a crucial role in this process, and it will in turn help direct more drug users to seek the assistance that they need.

This assistance needs to be improved not merely through better services, but also through improved expertise. At present, Sri Lanka has treatment and rehabilitation centres run by both Government and non-Governmental bodies. However, there is a question as to whether the service centres, especially those run by non-Governmental bodies, are being monitored and updated in accordance with global standards. At the same time, the need to regulate the centres run by non-Governmental bodies is a matter that requires serious attention, as the success of treatment and rehabilitation efforts depends on the expertise that those centres have. In this regard, civil society organisations, including the meagre number of such bodies that implement anti-drug programmes, should improve their contributions, and be a more active stakeholder of the Government’s efforts. 

In addition, as has been pointed out on many occasions, anti-drug efforts need to pay more attention to female drug users, whose situation concerning their drug habits is rather complex, given the reputation that they have been assigned in Sri Lanka’s socio-economic context where women face more stigma than men.

One of the most important aspects of this process is the authorities understanding that drugs are a social ill that keeps evolving, thereby requiring constant improvements. The mental health aspects, as well as the socio-economic aspects of the drug problem should be at the centre of anti-drug efforts.