Millions of youth addict to brain-altering Yaba

Millions of the young men are now in addiction of brain-altering methamphetamine pill Yaba across the country.

In this context, one of the biggest fears in the society is now that extrajudicial killings in staged crossfires will once again return to the national life with full backing from most of the people country, experts warned.

They said, such a thing will likely happen under the guise of uprooting the drug menace.

Ruling parties will carry out these anti-drug drives to boost their popularity, and people in both rural areas and cities will fully support them.

Sources said, Yaba has emerged as a major threat to rural life. Millions of young people are addicted to this brain-altering methamphetamine pill, which is cheap and easy to transport.

Experts warned that young people who fall prey to the drug are transformed; while Phensidyl addicts always had a chance to make a comeback, there seems to be no return to normal life for yaba addicts. Some turn into violent criminals, while others sink into petty crime.

“In my village, I have seen how yaba ravages families and sparks domestic violence. The villagers' patience is running thin. I won't be surprised if, in the coming years, we see mob lynchings of yaba addicts and dealers in the countryside. Politicians will soon capitalize on this popular outrage to take action,” Shafiqul Alam, Editor-in-chief, Daily Waadaa, said this in a facebook post.

He said, there is every possibility that these collective calls will move governments, leading populists to bring back staged extrajudicial murders of drug suspects.

“The situation is desperate. We do not want a single extrajudicial murder in Bangladesh; we do not want to become another Philippines. But if law enforcement agencies fail to curb the drug menace, these yaba-fueled crises will become a key election issue in the coming years,” he shared.

He said also that its impact unfortunately, will be felt most acutely in the Rohingya camps.