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| Status Report on Drug Abuse Situation in Bhutan | ||
Introduction The drugs problem is slowly seeping into the social fabric of the Bhutanese society, which is posing serious concern to all members of the society. It cuts through all section of the society from a variety of socio-economic background. It constitutes a serious threat to the health, safety and well being of all our citizens. The damages caused by drugs affect not only those who abuse drugs, but also affect their families, friends and community as a whole. The government had been making concerted effort to confront this growing problem since 1988. However in the absence of a national nodal agency to deal with the problem, the information and data on narcotic drugs and substance abuse scenario has been sketchy and scant if not null. The challenge of the agency therefore has been to overcome this void and put the pieces together and grasp the pulse of the situation and come to terms with the drug abuse scenario in Bhutan. The scenario on drugs is presented into two phases. The Drugs and Substance Abuse Scenario in part I cover the period from 1989 till 2005. In part II, the scenario is only for 2006. |
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Definition of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances The World Health Organization define Drugs as any substance, with the exception of food and water, which when taken into the body, alters its function physically and or psychologically. Source of Information Till date there was neither legislation nor a coordinating agency responsible for national drug and psychotropic substance control programs. As a result information regarding the past cases on drug and substance abuse in the county is sketchy and arbitrary. However the Royal Bhutan Police which was mandated to act by the 1988 notification of the government and as a result of their actions, has kept some records and profiles of the drug abusers and the types of drugs abused in our country. The police report contains some information starting from 1989. This reports form an important source of information on drug and substance abuse in the country. |
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The Department of Education in June 1992 also carried out an enquiry into the Alleged Drug Abuse in Thimphu schools. The findings of this enquiry has also greatly contributed as a source of history of abuse of drugs in the country. In December 2006, Rewa, a project under YDF, also carried out a Rapid Situation & Response Assessment Survey, which was an interview with about 200 clients randomly selected from drug prone areas of Thimphu. The survey was conducted mainly to determine the drug use and the socio economic status of the drug abusers. The result of this survey and assessment has been of significant importance and has greatly contributed to our understanding of the demographic and social issue of drug abusers and users |
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