Cannabis continues to be one of the widely abused drugs in the country. According to the records maintained with the Bhutan Narcotics Control Authority (BNCA), last year alone, more than 400 people were apprehended abusing marijuana and hashish.
As per the report, the maximum abusers are students and unemployed group with age ranging between 18 to 24 years. According to an official from the BNCA, people have easy access to cannabis since marijuana is grown everywhere. And, other than cannabis, today, most clients referred were for pharmaceutical drugs and solvents like thinners and dendrite.
Meanwhile, the number of drug abusers has decreased last year compared to the previous years. In 2019, the number of drug abuse from across the country was almost 1000 and last year it was close to 800.
According to the BNCA, the decrease is due to intensive patrolling and the non-availability of some controlled substances.
Last year, including drug abusers, there were a total of 1,050 offenders recorded with the BNCA which include illegal possession and Illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. As per the severity of the addiction, they will be referred for either treatment counselling or for brief intervention.
Pema Seldon Tshering
