Yaba addiction tightening its grip on Bangladesh: The Irish Times

Yaba addiction continues to devastate lives across Bangladesh, with experts warning that the country's limited mental healthcare services and the growing availability of synthetic drugs are worsening the crisis, according to a report by The Irish Times.

From young people struggling with substance dependence to rehabilitation centres grappling with rising patient numbers, yaba has become one of the country's most pervasive drug problems despite years of law enforcement crackdowns.

Yaba – a methamphetamine and caffeine-based stimulant commonly known as "crazy medicine" – is now believed to be used by millions of Bangladeshis, with usage continuing to rise.

The report recounts the experience of a Dhaka resident in his forties, identified by the pseudonym "Metalfreak", whose addiction has profoundly affected his daily life. Once devoted to caring for his pet bird, he now says he struggles to find motivation for even the simplest routines.

He described yaba as something that has "totally" altered his mind and said prolonged use often leaves him awake for days before crashing into extended periods of sleep.

Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said in June that nearly 5% of Bangladesh's roughly 175 million people suffer from drug addiction. 

He warned that the emergence of new synthetic and semi-synthetic drugs has further intensified the problem.

Earlier this month, parliament approved legislation retaining the death penalty for certain drug-related offences.

Yaba remains a banned Class-A substance in Bangladesh. In 2018, the government launched a nationwide anti-drug campaign during the tenure of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina that left hundreds dead and tens of thousands arrested. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, criticised the operation and raised concerns over alleged extrajudicial killings.

Despite those measures, experts say drug use has continued to rise.

Dr Md Arifuzzaman, a registrar at the National Institute of Mental Health who also works at the Niramoy rehabilitation centre in Dhaka, told The Irish Times that yaba addiction has become extremely common in Bangladesh, often alongside the use of other substances.

He said the country has only around 350 psychiatrists serving its entire population, while mental healthcare remains inaccessible for many people.

Bangladesh's most recent national mental health survey, conducted in 2018-19, found that around 90% of people requiring mental healthcare do not seek treatment.

Arifuzzaman said psychiatrists at public facilities are frequently overwhelmed, sometimes seeing around 20 patients within an hour. He stressed the need to integrate mental healthcare into primary healthcare services.

According to him, many people struggling with addiction are also coping with underlying mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders or psychosis. Others turn to drugs while dealing with economic hardship, personal crises or traumatic experiences.

He noted that while some users remain functional, others are particularly vulnerable to the neurological effects of substance abuse.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has previously identified the Golden Triangle – where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet – as one of the world's major centres for synthetic drug production. Myanmar is believed to be the principal source of yaba entering Bangladesh.

UNODC data cited by The Irish Times showed that a record 236 tonnes of methamphetamine were seized across East and Southeast Asia in 2024, a 24% increase from the previous year.

Experts say yaba's increasing affordability has contributed significantly to its spread across different socioeconomic groups. Its stimulant effects can produce false confidence and prolonged wakefulness, while long-term use has been linked to severe physical and psychological consequences.

The Irish Times report also highlights broader social factors shaping addiction in Bangladesh, including economic uncertainty, political instability and concerns among many young people about their future prospects.

Mental health professionals argue that addressing the yaba epidemic will require more than punitive measures. 

Expanding access to treatment, reducing stigma surrounding mental illness and strengthening public healthcare services, they say, will be essential to tackling the country's growing addiction crisis.