DRUG ADDICTION AND INCREASING

CRIME IN THE CONTEXT OF SYLHET

Introduction

Drug addiction has become a great problem all over the world. It is said that the first
profitable business is oil and second is drug. Bangladesh is also under the attack of drug
addiction. Last ten years the country has become wide drug market in the subcontinent.
Millions of dollars has washed away to the abroad through some smugglers whose are
known to us as criminals. Drug is distributed as a batter system by the international
smugglers. The lacking of implementation of law and connection of local agents, the
druggists are gone to be uncontrolled day by day. In a day young is the target group of
drug addiction. Young, juvenile, adolescence and adult take this deadfall course. Now a
day huge number of drugs are taking by the drug addict. For an example Heroine, Opium,
Phensidyl, Ganja, Lsd, Marijuana etc. These are dry drug components and beside of these
dry drugs liquid drug materials are very popular like Kero, Vodka, Alcohol spirit, Bangla
mod, Whisky, Bear.

In the contemporary society tobacco is widely consumed. American Indians (IARC

Monographs, 1985 and Christian, 1980) were probably the first people who used tobacco
in the 1400’s. Tobacco use in the western culture appeared as cigarette, cigar chew and
snuff. In Bangladesh people use tobacco in various forms such as cigarette, biri (a rolled
dried and processed tobacco leaf), Zarda and tamak etc.

The first stage of the drug addiction is smoking. At first many people be addicted on
the various kinds of cigarettes. After this stage the cigarette addicted persons be addicted
on the ganja and other drugs and go far away from the normal life. In this critical stage of
life people start crime. First at home the criminal offence is started by an addicted
through stealing household goods like mobile, wristwatch, computer etc. Even sometime
wallet of father is become very crucial thing for addicted person. This stealing habit one
day becomes very clear to the family that their son or daughter is drug addicted. So
according to this situation family stop giving money. For this reason addicted person
become bounded to be in touch of political shelter. After a period of time addicted person
make a strong group, so that they can do abduction, murder and other criminal offence
for money to fulfill their need of drug.

Drug abuse affects the society as a whole, or the large part of society. Drug abuse
may be perceived both as aberrant behavior and as a social problem. In the former sense,
it is regarded as an evidence of individual’s society maladjustment; in later sense, it is
viewed as a wide spread condition that has harmful consequences for society. In several
western countries, drug abuse was a social problem since long but in South-Asia; it is
also since last on and half decade that it has come to be considered a crucial social
problem. It is said that Bangladesh has become not only an important transit centre for
drugs but the prevalence of drug use is also alarmingly increasing.
 Drug is chemical substance associated with distinct physical and psychological
affects. It alters a person’s normal bodily processes or functions. In medical sense, a drug
is a substance prescribed by a physician or manufactured expressly for the purpose of
treating and preventing disease and ailment by it chemical nature and its affects on the
structure and functions of a living organism. In the psychological and sociological
context, drug is a term for habit forming substance which directly affects the brain or
nervous system.

More precisely, it refers to “any chemical substance which affects bodily function,
mood, perception or consciousness which has potential for misuse and which may be
harmful to the individual or the society”(Jullian, 1977). The abuse able drugs may be
divided into six categories; Alcohol, Sedatives, Stimulants, Narcotics, Hallucinogens and
Nicotine.

Drug abuse is the use of illicit drug or misuse of legitimate drug resulting into
physical psychological harm. It includes smoking, ganja hashish, taking heroine or
cocaine or LSD, injecting morphine, drinking alcohol and so forth. These are sometimes
referred to as being “high on speed” or “trip or getting kicks”.

The word ‘addiction’ is generally used to describe physical dependence. Thus

‘addiction’ or ‘physical dependence’ is “a state whereby the body requires continued
administration of the drug in order to function”. Body functioning is interfered with if the
drug is withdrawn and withdrawal symptoms appear in a pattern specific for the drug.
The total reaction to deprivation is known as ‘abstinence syndrome’.

Drug addiction has categorized into many way. like

Experimental use: when a person tries a drug once or twice out of curiosity. Novice users
run the risk of a lack of tolerance to the drug, and of not knowing how they will react, as
well as the risks that may be associated with the effects of the drug.

Recreational use: where a person chooses to use a drug for enjoyment, particularly to
enhance a mood or social occasion.

Situational use: where a drug is used to cope with the demands of particular situations.
For example, amphetamines have been used by long distance truck drivers to maintain
alertness and by athletes to gain energy. People who experience bereavement are often
prescribed benzodiazepines (minor tranquillisers) to cope with grief.

Intensive use: also known as "bingeing", where a person consumes a heavy amount of
drugs over a short period of time, or use is continuous over a number of days or weeks.

Dependent use: where a person becomes dependent on a drug after prolonged or heavy
use over time. They feel a need to take the drug consistently in order to feel normal, or to
avoid uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. Dependence can be psychological, physical,
or both. Only a relatively small number of drug users become dependent drug users.
 Now a day it is a question to all that is drug and crime related to each other? For this
reason Collins and Gandossy has conducted a research and they said “drug/alcohol use
and crime are statistically correlated” (Collins, 1982; Gandossy et al, 1980).

MORRIS PLOSCOWE wrote an article and the article’s name is “Some Basic
Problems in Drug Addiction and Suggestions for Research” where he cited his
opinion like this “One of the compelling reasons why more rational methods of dealing
with drug addicts must be devised is the close relationship between drug addiction and
crime. The compulsion for the drug makes every drug addict a law violator and a
criminal. Mere possession of a narcotic drug which the addict must have to ward off
withdrawal distress is a violation of the narcotic laws. Thus, every drug addict is subject
to arrest by the police, and as we have seen, the arrests of addicts and of narcotic law
violators have gone up by leaps and bounds. Addicts guilty of no other crime than illegal
possession of narcotics are filling the jails, prisons and penitentiaries of the country.
However, this is only a part of the distressing picture of the relationship between narcotic
addiction and criminality. For most narcotic addicts, predatory crime (larceny,
shoplifting, sneak thievery, burglary, embezzlement, robbery, etc.), is a necessary way of
life. This was clearly recognized by the law enforcement officials who appeared before
the Congressional Committees and gave testimony concerning the close relationship
between property crime and drug addiction in their communities. These officials were
convinced that property crimes could be reduced materially if all drug addicts could be
incarcerated.

The New York University and the Chicago studies on “drug addiction support” and
they notion that drug addiction necessarily leads to predatory crime as a way of life. For
example, Chein and Rosenfeld makes the following comments based on their studies of
juvenile addicts: "Drug use leads to a criminal way of life. The illegality of purchase and
possession of opiates and similar drugs makes a drug user a delinquent ipso facto. The
high cost of heroin, the drug generally used by juvenile users, also forces specific
delinquency against property for cash returns. The average addicted youngster spends
almost forty dollars a week on drugs, often as much as seventy dollars. He is too young
and unskilled to be able to support his habit by his earnings. The connection between
drug use and delinquency for profit has been established beyond any doubt."56 A
Chicago study comes to a similar conclusion: ".

Karen T. froeling wrote a book known as “criminology research focus”(2007)

where in the 15th number chapter he showed that 921 youngsters aged 15-18 involve in
violence(physical, verbal and property related) when they consume alcohol. The findings
show that although both the discotheque and the rock concert involved rock music, they differed in alcohol-
consumption patterns and extent of involvement in violence. 43.8% of the respondents were involved in
violence at discotheques while only 2.5% were involved in violence at rock concerts. A significant
relationship was found between alcohol consumption and involvement in violence
Objective of the study

General objectives:

To explore and understand drug related behaviors like socio economic and psycho
phenomenon of addicted people that lead then to the crime world

Specific objectives:

1. To understand the nature of drug use pattern among the young drug users and adult in
the sylhet city area.
2. To know about the different types of drugs they usually take
3. To explore the reasons given for drug addiction (i.e. explore reasons given for starting
drug use – peer pressure, emotional & social trauma, etc)
4. To explore the drug prevalence and related factors of drug addiction and crime.

Rationality of the study

In the contemporary world, the Anthropologists have turned their attention to the
study of the various social problems. In recent years; it is evident that drug abuse is a
crucial social problem is Bangladesh as well as all over the world. The use of illicit drugs
today is not confined to the street Urchins and the lower classes; more and more upper
class youth are succumbing to drugs. Though the accurate number of drug abusers is not
clearly identified, yet according to an estimate, there are more than 40 lakhs drug
addicted in Bangladesh and in sylhet it would be approximately one fourth percent out of
hundred. In the early 90’s this number was not more than 10 lakhs. According to the
Dept. of Narcotics Control, a drug addicted person spends TK 100 to 1000 per day for
taking drugs. This situation is not regarded as an evidence of individual’s social
maladjustment, it is viewed as a wide spread condition that has harmful consequences for
whole society because drug addiction is the default gateway of crime. If read the case
study of all abduction, murder, robbery, approximately half of the matters are happened
because of drug. But still today it is not clear to us which psycho-phenomena are working
behind this problem. Drug is related with is many problem is not very clear in our
society. So, in these respects an intensive investigation is essential to find out why the
drug is existing in our society, how it is coming and how crime is getting a long tail. So
I’ve chosen this topic as my research topic.

Research Location
In this work, I’ve chosen “Uposhohor” and “housing state” as my research location.
Sylhet is a big district and where different cast and creed live here. Different religious
people and they contain different kind of ideology. Basically these two areas are known
as the top economy area where upper class people live there of sylhet. Their monthly
money income range is approximately 40,000 to 50, 000. Within this amount of money
half of the money does come from England as remittance and half of the money come
from other source like share business, different kind of business. But their education level
is not so high. For this reason in this area’s young children’s can easily effort to buy the
motorbike. After a motorbike, political leaders start using them and day by day they fall
in to the drug and later they start criminal activities. To explore and understand the drug
related behaviors of addicted people of this area and their crime I’ve chosen these two areas
as my research zone.

Research methodology
Selection of the study area:

On the basis of daily newspaper information, it is known that some zones of sylhet city
are heavily affected by various kinds of drugs. These zones are Noabazar, Kumargaon,
Tukerbazar, Airport road, Majortila and even some residential areas such as Housing-
state and Uposhohor.

For convenience of work, intensive investigation and to explore the different patterns of
drugs at different segments of the society; Uposhohor and Housing-state are selected for
the research.

Sources of data collection:

In any research work, data collection is very important. In this study data will be
collected from different sources, for this reason I like to group all the information from
different sources into two sections. Like

Primary sources:

Collected data from the key informant, field area observation and case study will be
considered as my primary sources of data.

Secondary sources:

Different newspaper, periodicals, research works, scientific and social research journals
(Bangladesh journals of life sciences), rapport building, unstructured interview, diary
writing, Bulletin will be taken as secondary sources. These will be considered as indirect
or secondary sources in the study.

Methods and techniques of data collection from the primary sources:

Different methods and strategies will be appointed in this for data collection and keeping
them alive in mind. Situation depended techniques will be taken for collecting of
substantial and reliable data. Attempts will make to achieve the objectives, sometimes by
using key informant, field area observation and case study. Besides of these major
methods I’ve planed to use some specific technique for the help of major methods like
rapport building, unstructured interview etc. Sometime valuable information will be
incorporated in elusive way for the sake of key informant.

Theoretical framework
Emile Durkheim attributed the anomie to unlimited aspirations and the breakdown
of regularity norms in the theory of anomie (1893). According to Durkheim, Man’s
aspirations have constantly increased since the beginnings of history. There is nothing in
man’s organic structure or his psychological constitution which can regulate his
unlimited desires. Being unlimited they constantly and infinitely surpass the means. Since
the individual has no way of restraining his unlimited propensities, this must be done by
some force exterior to him. Thus any abrupt transitions such as economic disaster,
industrial crisis or sudden prosperity can cause a deregulation of the normative structure.
That is why anomie is a chronic state of affairs in the modern socio-economic system.

According to this theory, it is said that drug addiction is also a social conditio of
normlessness or the deregulation of the normative structure that is the failure of collective
moral order to restrain the overweening ambition, greed and unlimited aspirations of
crime.

On the other hand, Robert k. Merton sought to discover how some social structure
exert a definite pressure upon certain persons in the society to engage in non on the
individual but on the social order and stressed the importance of normative structures in
determining individual responses.

Merton defined anomie as the disjunction between cultural goals and institutionalized
means. In a tone reminiscent of Durkheim, Merton said “The process whereby exaltation
of the end generates a literal demoralization i.e de-institutionalization of the means
occurs in many groups where the two components of the social structure are not highly
integrated. Marton explained this situation as below: A typology of modes of individual
adaptation.

Modes of adaptation Cultural goals Institutionalized means

Conformity + +

Innovation + +

Ritualism _ _

Retreatism _ _
 Rebellion +_ +_

Having identified the modes of individual adaptation, Merton defines anomie as a

property of a social system, not to the state of mind of this or that individual within the
system. He stated that “anomie, then, is a condition is social surround, not condition of
particular people. People are confronted by substantial anomie when as a matter of
objective fact; they can’t rely upon a high probability that the behavior of others will be
in rough accord with standards jointly regarded as legitimate.

According to Merton, it is said that drug addiction is not an individual problem. It is

the result of non-conformity between cultural goals and institutionalized means. When an
individual of society is not able to achieve his goals through institutionalized means then
he/she follows substitute way. He/she are influenced by surroundings such as peer groups
and also anti-social activities which supports Merton’s theory.

Drug addiction is also such kind of anti social activities which is oriented form
society and make some people or group a criminal. Charles H. Cooley called it “the
looking glass self” i.e that can be explained “I”and “me” concept. Here “I” means an
individual and “me” reflects the inner vision of an individual. If an individual is able to
develop “me” concept then he can surpass all kind of bad situation. Such way drug
addiction is a cause of lacking “me”. So it is obviously true that drug addiction is a
crucial social problem which can be analyzed through the theory of Durkheim and Rober
k. Merton.

Literary review
To prepare this research proposal, some related books and article I’ve studied. Also
these books and article were completed by some prominent social scientist. Some books
were written by Anthropologists and some are for other field of knowledge. Every books
and article’s summarization that are helpful for my research is given below.

Dr. Sufia Khanam said in his article known as “Knowledge of Drug

Addiction of first year MBBS Students of selected Medical College ” Drugs were
used by primitive people in religious rituals to combat or naturalize various
taboos. Throughout the ages significant number of substances were used to treats
disease but only a few of these substances had only direct influences on the
symptom of disease. The American Indians extracted drugs like medicine from
desserts plants, to enable them to communicate with their dead ancestors.
Continued study and refinement of this product give medical science a great
variety of drugs and medicines unfortunately many of these substance have
dangerous and damaging effects on the body used indiscriminately. As there is
increased use of such drugs by the medical professionals there is growing
tendencies for the people in general to used drugs without prescription or medical
purpose. Medical use of drugs has always existed in Bangladesh as in elsewhere
but the present form of drug dependence among the youth of the country was
little known to people before 1960.The abuse of Heroine was first detected in
Dhaka in 1984.In the economically deprived communities cannabis, depressants and
opiates were found to be the agent of choice & among more affluent young person
cannabis, LSD and depressants were used extensively. In 1994 the Bangladesh Govt.
banned the consumption of opium and closed the opium vendering in the country.
Bangladesh experienced a dramatic change in this field during last decade. An early
identification of cause of drug addiction might be helpful in developing a program for
reduction and prevention of the problem in the country.

James V. Mc. Connel (1974), in his book, ‘Understanding Human Behavior: An

introduction to psychology’, explained the causes of drug abuse through psychological
aspect. This book has seven chapters. There is one chapter entitled ‘Sleeps, Drugs and
altered status of consciousness, where LSD, procaine, placebo, cocaine, euphonia are
mentioned as drugs. The author said that drug affects the central processing of the body.
It occurs neurological, psychological problems and also it hampers the nervous system of
human body.

Ram Ahuja (2001), in his famous book, ‘Social problems in India” stresses on
various social problems in Indian society such as drugs, AIDS, terrorism, child abuse etc.
Among those problems drugs are one of the major problems. The author mentions the
name of many drugs such as ganja, heroine, alcohol, marijuana, hashish, phencidil etc
which are affecting the whole society at an alarming rate. According to an estimate, India
has about ten lakhs heroine addicts alone. Indians drug lords monthly sale in the domestic
and international markets varies between Rs 100 crores and Rs 125 crores. Like wise the
quantity of illicit drugs sized between 1986 and 1996 has increased over 1000 percents.
The author divided the abuse able drugs into six categories: alcohol, sedatives,
stimulants, narcotics, hallucinogens and nicotine.

Each of them has various impacts on health, central nervous system, emotion, social
and economic deterioration. As a result the addicted people face too much problems such
as extreme nervousness, irritability, headache, sweating, diarrhea, unclear speech, mental
illness and insomnia, muscle pain, lung cancer and bronchitis. Also the author mentions
some empirical studies on students, industrial workers and rural areas. He found that
about 60% students take drugs on the suggestion of friends, 5% on the suggestion of
some family member or kin, 10% on the suggestion of physicians and 25% of their oun
accord.

Finally he indicates some causes of drug addiction. Causes may be classified under
for heads:

1. Psychological cause (relieving tension, easing depression, removing inhibitions,

satisfying curiosity, removing boredom, getting kicks etc.)
2. Social cause (facilitating social experiences, being excepted by friends and
challenging social values)
 3. Physiological cause (staying awake, removing pain, getting sleep)
4. Miscellaneous cause (improving study, solving personal problem etc.)

Reader digest: 1995

Smoking is the first stage of drug addiction. Maximum addicted people
start their addiction through smoking.

Dr. Abdul Awwal Biswas (March, 2005) has completed a research work on, ‘The
present drug and health situation of the people of sylhet city’. In this research report
has six chapters. Dr. Biswas emphasized on different kinds of drugs, causes of drug abuse
and its consequences in Sylhet city. He found a huge number of drug abusers in sylhet
city. The findings of his research were 10.9% of self-will people have been drug
addicted. For bad peer group 10.73% and for provocation of friends 12.69% have been
drug addicted. The drug addicted people 1.728% is for failure of romantic affairs and
others. Finally he showed that drug addiction is a great social problem of sylhet city. He
comments that social reformative and clinical services are required.

Conclusion:
Many of the families of the study area are confronting against drug because of drug
addiction of family members. Drug abuse is increasing day by day; no aged groups of
people are not beyond of drug addiction. Rich and poor, adolescent, youth and other are
being increasingly drug addicted. In sylhet city specially at Uposhohor and Housing-state
drug addiction is also now a threat to social security and addicted persons are involved in
vices like stealing, hijacking, cheating and even murder and so forth. It is very difficult to
understand drug abuse people’s behaviors. For exploring drug addicted symptoms and
other tertiary behavior, It is required to know the socio economic and psycho
phenomenon of each drug patient.

It is obvious that individual eagerness is mainly responsible for the drug addiction. It
can also be said that eagerness is the primary step if being drug addicted. Most of the
youth, adolescent, businessman and other groups mainly slow addicted lines. Though,
Sylhet city is called spiritual capital but it is a matter of great regret that many segments
of people are suffering from curse of drug and various social constraints.

In present day, in the study area 15% of self will people have been drug addicted. For
bad peer group 35% have been drug addicted. In drug addicted people 20% is for failure
of romantic affairs. For family feuds 10% have been drug addicted. In drug addicted
people, 45% is for loveless ness and 10% is for frustration. Besides, for abundance of
money 10% and for other causes people have drug addicted. It is great regret that there
are fourteen drug reformation centers in Sylhet city. But most of them are being used as
drug taking centre behind the name of reformation centre. These are one kind of business
centre.

At last, it can be said that drug addiction is a great social problem of the study areas
as well as Sylhet city. In this regard social reformative and clinical services are required.
Bibliography

Dr. Khanam Sufia ”Knowledge of Drug Addiction of first year MBBS Students of
selected Medical College”

Biswas, Dr. Abdul Awwal, “The present drug and health situation of the people of the
Sylhet city” March, 2005

Mc Connell v. James, “Understanding human behavior an introduction to

psychology”4th edition. Holt. Rinetart and winston CBS, College publishing 1974.

Robet K. Merton, “Social theory and social structure” Glencoe, free press, 1957.