Editorial: Arakan State Has a Drugs Problem

By Admin 22 Apr 2023

There is a growing demand for illicit narcotics among people in Arakan State. The ranks of Arakan State’s drug users has grown and its average age has gotten younger; indeed, it is not uncommon these days to see children as young as 12 or 13 years old using illicit narcotics. 

Drugs were once relatively uncommon in Arakan State. But today, drugs are readily available across much of the state. It is tragic to see the younger generations in particular frittering away their futures through drug abuse. A person’s education, health and economic potential are all, almost invariably, negatively impacted by illicit narcotics use.

This year’s Thingyan water festivities once again brought a rise in drug use among the young and partying crowds.

It is necessary for the police and relevant local authorities to strictly deal with the issue of drugs. Additionally, if civil society organisations are able to carry out widespread awareness activities, there is a possibility that drug use can be reduced to a certain extent.

Myanmar is the second largest producer of opium in the world, but currently the most commonly used drugs by local youth are synthetic, including the all-too-common methamphetamine pills known as yaba.

“Preliminary data for 2021 suggests that another record amount of methamphetamine was seized in East and Southeast Asia, reaching 171.5 tons,” according to a 2022 report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). “Southeast Asia, particularly the lower Mekong subregion (comprising Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam), continues to account for an increasing proportion of methamphetamine seizures in the region amounting to nearly 89 per cent of total seizures reported in 2021.”

Drugs and alcohol are addictive substances, and treatment must be made widely available for those who are willing to seek it. Parents also need to keep an eye on their children’s behaviour, and in particular for any sudden, significant changes in their behaviour.

On the other hand, some government employees are reportedly involved in the drug trade in some Arakan State townships. The drug-related problems run wide and deep.

Some of the biggest drug busts in Arakan State have taken place after the 2021 coup — 10 billion kyats of yaba pills were seized from a tanker truck at Maungdaw’s Kyee Kan Pyin checkpoint in August 2021, and 20 billion kyats worth of drugs were seized at an Ann Township checkpoint in April 2022. 

Despite large seizures like these, drug abuse and dealings in Arakan State have shown no signs of abating, according to residents. Making matters worse, drug users are committing acts of violence against family members, friends and total strangers. A disproportionate share of thefts and robberies in Arakan State involve drug addicts, pushers and dealers.

At the same time, it has never been cheaper to become a drug user, particularly if your drug of choice is methamphetamine: “Prices have decreased even further in several countries in the region, leading to increased affordability and accessibility to the drug,” said the UNODC report.  

Within Myanmar’s borders, it is clear that a joint effort — bringing together local and national law enforcement and authorities, civil society and international nongovernmental organisations — to address the drugs scourge will be necessary to fight back a growing tide, which is affecting not just Arakan State but Myanmar as a whole and the wider Southeast Asia region.