Drug Scenario In The Philippines

In the year 2021, According to the Dangerous Drugs Board or

DDB (the government agency mandated to formulate policies on illegal
drugs in the Philippines), there are 1.8 million current drug users in the
Philippines, and 4.8 million Filipinos report having used illegal drugs at
least once in their lives.
The majority of the illegal substances confiscated during the
operations remain to be crystal meth or shabu, which accounts for 7,330
kilograms, followed by marijuana (3,783 kilograms), cocaine (510
kilograms), and ecstasy (12 kilograms).  There were also other assorted
drugs worth 3,009 kilograms.

As of now, 23,270 barangays have been declared cleared from

illegal drugs, while 12,125 have not been cleared, with less than a year
remaining into Duterte’s term.

The drug war has been a landmark program of the current

administration, as Duterte promised during the campaign period for the
2016 national elections to eradicate the drug menace in the country.
By reviewing international experience and generating an empirical
evidence base of credible information, the government’s anti-drug
policies can be monitored and evaluated for effectiveness. There is a
growing body of evidence from all around the world that suggests that
drugs should be dealt with as a public health, rather than law
enforcement, issue.One study on 50 years of the global war on drugs
says that it has failed to limit drug availability and that “global trends in
drug use – particularly high-risk use – [have been] rising consistently
over the past half-century and illegal drugs [are] cheaper and more
available than ever.”5
 The Philippines needs antidrug policies, approaches, and tactics that
are responsive to emerging evidence from around the world and to the
changing contexts of drug use. Instead of punitive approaches, the
following may be considered:

 Health-based rehabilitation programs adapted to Filipino culture and

communities. These have been shown to reduce recidivism rates
dramatically and lead to secondary benefits such as community
protection. These community-based programs have also been shown
to be more effective in dealing with the majority of drug users who
are not severely addicted to illicit substances.6 (See below for a fuller
discussion of these approaches.)
 Enforcement actions focused on reducing supply by investing time
and resources in in-depth investigations that will result in the capture
of high-level drug suppliers rather than low-level dealers. Any
enforcement action, regardless of its target and the nature of the
violation, must be conducted within the bounds of law and due
process.
 Reduction of demand by investing in prevention programs that are
informed by a rigorous study of reasons why individuals start and
sustain drug use.

Any and all policies, programs, strategies, and tactics must be informed
by a credible evidence base, conducted with respect for human rights
and the rule of law, and operationalized within the context of sound
governance systems. Otherwise, any gains derived from antidrug
campaigns will be difficult to sustain.