Govt moves to strengthen anti-drug law: Home Minister

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said the government is in the final stages of amending the Narcotics Control Act to strengthen efforts against drug-related crime.

Speaking at a press conference marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Thursday, he said the proposed amendments were expected to be placed before the Jatiya Sangsad within the next few days.

The event was held at the Home Ministry and attended by senior officials, including Senior Secretary Manjur Morshed Chowdhury, Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) Director General Hasan Maruf and representatives of private drug treatment and rehabilitation centres.

The minister said the government was upgrading the capabilities of the DNC by providing modern equipment, laboratory facilities, transport support and dog squads. Plans are also underway to modernise detention facilities used to hold suspects before they are transferred to police stations.

He said drug traffickers were increasingly using technology, online platforms and financial channels to conduct illegal activities, making existing legal provisions insufficient to tackle the evolving threat.

According to the minister, the government is working to establish a stronger legal framework that would ensure stricter punishment for offenders while supporting wider efforts to address the social impact of drug abuse.

He said proposals had also been made to establish special tribunals and dedicated courts for the speedy disposal of drug-related cases, aiming to reduce backlogs and prevent offenders from escaping justice through delays in the legal system.

Salahuddin Ahmed added that the government had recently introduced a modern law to combat online gambling and was gradually implementing further legal reforms to strengthen cybercrime prevention and improve transparency and accountability within law enforcement agencies.

Citing findings from a national survey, he said around 8.2 million people in Bangladesh were affected by drug addiction.

The minister highlighted several initiatives aimed at expanding treatment and rehabilitation services. The number of beds has been increased at rehabilitation centres in Tejgaon and three divisional cities, while work is underway to expand the Central Drug Addiction Treatment Centre in Dhaka to 250 beds.

He said construction had begun on seven modern drug treatment and rehabilitation centres, each with 200 beds, across divisional cities. The project is being implemented at a cost of Tk1,400 crore.

To encourage private-sector participation, the government has allocated Tk1.10 crore in grants to 73 selected private drug treatment and rehabilitation centres during the 2025-26 fiscal year.

At the event, the home minister handed over grant cheques to representatives of 15 selected private treatment and rehabilitation centres in the capital.