A new Act over Yaba abuse is being enacted keeping the provision of death sentence as the highest punishment. Already a high-power committee has finalized the draft of the Narcotics Control Act-2018 which will be placed at the Parliament very soon, said insiders.
They said if any member of law enforcing agencies is found involved in drug dealing he would also be brought to the dock.
Confirming the news, Department of Narcotics Control Managing Director Jamal Uddin told the Bangla Tribune, “In the new Act, yaba has been included as ‘A’ category drug, and death sentence will be the highest punishment for abuse of “A’ category drugs.”
He said according to the draft of the Act, allegations could be brought on information against those who supply, control, store or sell drugs, even if the drug could not be recovered from their possession.
It has been known that the draft of the proposed Act has been already finalized through a series of meetings at the home ministry. Soon it will be placed at Jatiya Sangsad to be passed as law.
On anonymity, a member of the committee for enacting the Act told the Bangla Tribune, “Bangladesh has signed three conventions over drug abuse. We have prepared the draft according to the guidelines of those conventions. In the new Act, methamphetamine, amphetamine and other ingredients used in producing Yaba have been included in ‘A’ category, so that nobody can produce yaba using those ingredients.”
Eminent psychologist Dr Mohit Kamal said, “Yaba addiction is terribly deadly. Yaba dependency can lead to brain hemorrhage, brain disorders, blood pressure increase, heart attack, sleep disorders, kidney failure, perpetual sexual disability, lung inflammation and cancer.”
“Apart from this, its withdrawal creates acute frustration among the abuser. This drug should be prevented right now. Yaba dealers should be brought tothe dock,” he added.