They also urged people to treat drug addicts with empathy so that they can say no to drugs and come back to normal life.

The discussion titled 'Do Drugs Control Your Life ?' was

organised by Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) at its auditorium in the city on the eve of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking today.

Taking part in the discussion, Additional Inspector General of Prison Col Md Ashraful Islam Khan said the government is taking measure to control drug addiction inside the prisons in the country.

As part of that initiative, training is being imparted to guards and staffs working in the prisons, he added.

Deputy Director of narcotics control department Md Abu Taleb said since drug components are widely used for medication and for other purposes, it is difficult to control availability of drugs.

However, social awareness should be raised so that people remain far off from drugs, he added.

Taleb said in most of the cases it happens that the drug addicts give up taking drugs, but after some days they start taking drugs again.

This happens because their brain gets accustomed to drugs and their bodies demand supply of those toxic components, he added.

Member of the Law Commission Dr M Enamul Huq talked about his personal experience as smoker and depicted how his family members had helped him in getting rid of that habit.

DAM President Kazi Rafiqul Alam chaired the discussion which was also participated by Officer-in-Charge of United Nations Information Centre Kazi Ali Raza and Prof Rowshon Ara Firoz of philosophy department at Dhaka University.