Drug tests should be made mandatory in all sectors — from education to employment — to curb the use of narcotic substances, discussants have said in a virtual meeting on the issue.
The online event, arranged by Ahsania Mission Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre, was held on Thursday to mark International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2021.
Lawmaker Md Shamsul Haque Tuku, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Home Affairs, said at the meeting that drug abuse could be reduced significantly if the government made it compulsory to conduct drug tests in all sectors.
Bangladesh was not free from the global menace of substance abuse, which was why youths of the country were prone to drug addiction, he noted.
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“Realizing the horror of the situation, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has declared a war on drugs. No one can deny the destructive nature of drugs. Thus, everyone has to combine efforts to put an end to the drug menace, regardless of party affiliation,” the lawmaker added.
Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) Director General Muhammed Ahsanul Jabbar and Additional Secretary to the Home Ministry Ishrat Chowdhury were present at the program as special guests.
Raihanul Islam, resident psychiatrist at the Central Drug Addiction Treatment Centre, presented the keynote paper at the session, which was moderated by Iqbal Masud, director of Dhaka Ahsania Mission’s Health and WASH sector.
The government is considering making dope tests mandatory prior to recruitments to all types of government, semi-government, autonomous and private jobs as well as to students before admission in universities.
To this end, the DNC had drafted "Dope test rules 2021", which was currently with the Law Ministry for its vetting.
