Bangladesh, Aug. 14 -- ow many addicts are there in Bangladesh? As per official data, the number is around 8 million, but health workers and NGOs estimate it to be nearer to 10 million. In other words, approximately 7-8% of the population are regular drug users.

Researchers say that even this estimate falls short of reality, as it primarily accounts for visible social settings (such as university campuses and slums) and many are left out. The middle class, the vast rural populace and women remain largely unreached by drug prevalence surveys.

The narcotics economy is a multi-billion-dollar one, thus, tens of millions of users are needed to sustain this multinational business. While the exact figure remains unknown, it is close to at lea...