In the good old days, illicit drug use in the Philippines was mainly an indulgence of the rich, some artists and the sophisticated people in the entertainment world. People in rural areas seemed far removed from the menace of illegal drugs. Unfortunately, with the introduction of shabu, the illicit drug market has successfully gained inroads into the deep bowels of Philippine rural life. Young and old alike were caught in its addictive allure. Poor people were not spared. With P50 or P100, they can experience
ecstasy. The growing dependence of the poor and not so poor on shabu became a raging nationwide epidemic.
As the cancer of illegal drugs continued to spread in every barangay, the powers that be turned a blind eye. Government officials kept their silence, as drug syndicates cook shabu in small towns and gated communities all over the country. As long as the drug lords filled the coffers of the corrupt and powerful in government, these leeches remained untouchables.
Addiction to shabu trumps everything that matters to a decent individual. Despite the person’s standing preference not to do anything offensive to society, once hooked, an addict would do anything illegal to sustain the habit. Official records show that 70 percent of heinous crimes in the country, such as murder, rape, armed robbery and kidnapping, are drug-related. This prompted pundits to say that the shabu problem is already past prevention, and containment is now next to impossible.
There was a general belief that a country whose government is mired in graft and corruption can easily fall under the power and influence of drug lords with bottomless coffers to buy political clout. President Duterte knows the seriousness of the problem when he launched his war against drugs. He knows that the drug lords who were apprehended, tried, found guilty and jailed can buy their liberty because of the tenuous justice system and irresolute antidrug campaigns under previous administrations.
Duterte’s war against drugs has so far seen thousands killed, including drug lords, drug pushers and drug users. Now, the puzzling question: Are those involved in the illegal-drugs trade so reckless and foolhardy that they continue to ignore Mr. Duterte’s warning?
Here’s the possible answer: A National Youth Commission survey showed that 1.2 million of the 1.7 million Filipino shabu users belonged to the young population, between 15 and 29 years old. Conservatively, each user consumed an average of 5 grams per month (or a total of 8.5 million grams if multiplied by 1.7 million users). Given the average street value of shabu at P2,000 per gram, this illegal business is raking in P17 billion per month, or a whopping P204 billion a year. No wonder shabu has become a formidable problem to solve.