The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Bhutan’s two legislative Houses, the National Assembly (NA) and the National Council (NC) have raised an urgent and unified call for stronger policies and coordinated efforts to tackle the growing threats of crime, alcohol abuse, and substance misuse particularly among the country’s youth.
Deliberations in both houses this week highlighted mounting concerns from Member of Parliament (MPs) and the Ministers regarding safety, addiction, and youth wellbeing, as the country grapples with a rise in drug-related arrests and alcohol-related harm.
NA pushes for crime prevention and reduction to make Bhutan a safe society
In the NA, the Minister for Home Affairs, Tshering, presented the action taken report on efforts to make Bhutan a safer society.
The report outlined key initiatives including over 860 CCTV cameras installed nationwide,.
Lyonpo Tshering shared that 111 community sensitization programs were conducted across the country by Royal Bhutan Police (RBP), reaching 44,425 individuals, including students, teachers, and RBP personnel.
Pilot programs rolled out in selected gewogs, including the establishment of Gewog Gagdeys and Child Protection Committees.
Other programs include school-based counseling services, vocational training for inmates, and youth engagement through the Youth Engagement and Livelihood Program (YELP).
However, the Home Ministry acknowledged challenges such as inadequate manpower, technical limitations, and insufficient capacity to monitor alcohol sales, especially to minors and illegal activities on digital platforms.
MPs called for the immediate formulation of a National Alcohol Policy, noting the direct link between alcohol and rising rates of violence, domestic abuse, and youth crime. They expressed concern over the easy availability of alcohol to individuals under 18, with minimal monitoring or enforcement.
The Women, Children, and Youth Committee reiterated its earlier recommendation for an inter-agency alcohol policy, citing fragmented responsibilities among health, commerce, and law enforcement agencies.
The House directed the ministry to address previous communications regarding the “cooling-off period” for convicts and to support easier reintegration.
NC discussed on youth and substance abuse
Simultaneously, the National Council’s Social and Cultural Affairs Committee (SCAC) presented a comprehensive review report on youth and substance abuse.
The Chairperson of the committee, MP Tshering, shared that the review follows after His Majesty The King’s National Day address, which flagged drug use among youth as a growing national concern.
He said that between 2023 and 2024, 3,678 youth under the age of 24 were arrested for drug-related offences more than 50 percent of total arrests during that period.
He highlighted the growing concerns related to substance, alcohol and tobacco use.
Inhalants, marijuana, sedatives, and opioids were the most abused, with 491,518 kilograms of inhalants imported in 2024 alone, despite being controlled under Schedule VI of the NDPSSA Act.
He said that tobacco use contributes to 400 deaths annually and has cost the country around Nu 1.2 billion in lost healthcare and productivity, far exceeding the Nu 745 million collected in tobacco-related tax revenues.
Challenges such as poor retention in drug rehabilitation programs, overcrowded detention centres, and long judicial processes as barriers to recovery were also highlighted. He said that children in conflict with the law often face stigma, lack of family support, and limited access to vocational certification and reintegration services.
The SCAC proposed ten comprehensive recommendations, including reforming the Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Substance Abuse (NDPSSA) Act and the Tobacco Control Act, enacting Alcohol Control Act, strengthening the National Drug Task Force, strengthening inter-agency coordination and enforcement, prioritizing sin tax revenue for community-based interventions, expanding sports-based and livelihood programs for youth, developing a prevention education manual, enhancing treatment, aftercare and reintegration services, institutionalizing recognition programmes, and supporting education and livelihood opportunities for children in conflict with the law.
MPs emphasized the need for strong legal and social reforms.
Despite addressing the crisis from different angles, both Houses raised common themes including the urgent need for a National Alcohol Policy or Control Act, stricter enforcement of underage sales laws, unified inter-agency coordination, focus on root causes, such as socio-economic pressures, family breakdowns, and cultural shifts, comprehensive rehabilitation and reintegration frameworks, suggesting a turning point in national policy prioritizing a more coherent, preventive, and inclusive approach to safeguarding Bhutan’s youth and society.
