Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance in Bangladesh with about 6.1 million users, a survey by Bangladesh Medical University found.
The study estimated 8,194,605 people use one or more illicit drugs, or 4.88% of the population. Many start early: 33% first used drugs between ages 8 and 17, and 59% between 18 and 25. A user spends up to 6,000 taka a month, researchers said.
Yaba, a methamphetamine, was next at about 2.29 million users, followed by alcohol at 2.02 million. About 39,000 people inject drugs, raising risk of human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis.
“There is no reason to believe that only a small group of ‘bad’ people are addicted to drugs or that our children are safe,” vice-chancellor Prof Shahinul Alam said.