A deadly poison: The ‘MET’ epidemic

Substance abuse or the drug problem threatens the future of societies as a multi-layered and multi-dimensional social issue. In our country, too, substance use is becoming widespread and the problems it causes are becoming more complex. 

Children/adolescents/young people are being introduced to addictive substances at very early ages. Illegal drug sales are taking place on cyber networks such as internet-based communication platforms, the “Deep Web,” and the much darker virtual environment known as the “Dark Web.” 

The age of starting drug use has dropped to primary school children. Families are anxious. Streets and school entrances have become unsafe areas where drug dealers (street-level pushers) set traps and lie in wait to create new users. There is an explosion in crime rates linked to substance use. Many addicts commit theft, drug dealing, pickpocketing, and fraud to obtain substances. 

Known in street jargon as ‘Met,’ ‘Crystal,’ ‘Ice,’ or ‘Uncle Metin,’ “Methamphetamine” is spreading rapidly among young people on the streets. It is spreading very quickly because it has a very high potential for addiction, is cheap, and is easy to access. Increasing the dose leads to psychosis, paranoia, and hallucinations. The number of people who died due to substance use in Turkey increased by 1580% from 2006 to 2017. Among these, the proportional increase in deaths caused by ‘MET’ is striking. Istanbul ranks third in Europe in ‘MET’ use. A massive ‘MET’ market has formed. 

It can be said that we are facing the reality of a lost generation in the grip of poison traffickers and the clutches of addiction. Compared to European Union countries, Turkey stands out as the country with the highest number of deaths under the age of 30 linked to substance use. Between 2013 and 2020 alone, more than 4 thousand people lost their lives due to substance use or addiction. We must remind that adolescents/young people between the ages of 12-17 are at particularly high risk. More than 80% of substance addicts are between the ages of 20-35. This picture shows the gravity of the situation and reveals that we are late in prevention, protection, and intervention services.

The Rate of Female Addicts is Increasing

The rate of female addicts is increasing exponentially, and there are serious legal and bureaucratic restrictions on treatment opportunities. Although substance use is seen in all layers of society, risky groups include slums, poor households, adolescent males, and subcultural groups. Young minds that should be looking for ways to acquire jobs and professions are looking for ways to manufacture and trade substances. The rate of “young people who are neither in employment nor in education” in our country is sounding an alarm. According to the OECD “Education at a Glance” 2024 report; “Half of the adults in Turkey are not high school graduates, and one in every three young people between the ages of 18-24 is neither in education nor in employment. 

Turkey is on the drug route due to its geographical location. The three countries where the most heroin is seized are Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan. While the amount of cannabis seized in all of Europe is 200 tons, 50 tons, corresponding to 1/4 of this, was seized in Turkey. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya’s announcement that they launched the largest drug operation in the history of the Republic on the morning of April 17 in Ankara, and that 525 people were detained within a few hours in the operation codenamed “NARKOKAPAN-ANKARA,” shows the dramatic point the problem has reached.

In Turkey, nearly 90 thousand detainees and convicts are in Penal Execution Institutions for drug-related and connected crimes. 9 out of every 10 of our citizens who lost their lives due to substance use are under the age of 35. The treatment, rehabilitation, vocational training, and reintegration into society of children/adolescents/young people in Penal Execution Institutions due to drug-related crimes are of critical importance.

Family Dramas and Tragic Life Stories

Family dramas and tragic life stories are told in Anatolian cities and poor neighborhoods of the slums. It is generally noted that in crimes, violence, and femicides, the ‘perpetrator’ committed the ‘act’ while under the influence of drugs.

When viewed from a macro perspective, we cannot address the point the drug epidemic has reached independently of Turkey’s painful economic, political, and social transformation processes. We must think about the problem in connection with the social negativities created by rapid and uncontrolled migration in metropolises. 

Privatization and downsizing policies weakened the social state. Masses of families were forced to live in conditions of deep and severe poverty. In the shantytown planet of large cities, millions were formed who are disconnected from employment and production and dependent on social assistance. The imbalance between education, vocational training, and employment fueled youth unemployment. A deep erosion occurred in religious, moral, and traditional values and norms. The institution of the family suffered a great wound with increasing divorces and fragmentation. The values and social control mechanisms that hold society together began to dissolve. We must evaluate the drug reality within the matrix and pathology of this sociological change. We must also start the “modality” of the solution from here.

The Political Economy of Drugs

Former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said in a speech that “the ATA plane, previously used by Turgut Özal, Süleyman Demirel, and Bülent Ecevit, was seized in 2021 in Brazil with 1304 kilograms of drugs, and the plane was confiscated.” Former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu had stated, “we detain an average of 5 thousand drug dealers or manufacturers per week.” Alongside these statements by political actors, the seizure of tons of cocaine in ports, planes, and ships, and the killing of foreign drug barons in Turkey, strikingly reveal the political economy of drugs in our country.

For a Solution

The first step in fighting a very complex social problem like addiction is to reveal the problem in all its aspects. In this context, comprehensive “social risk maps” must be created along with the necessary research and data collection studies. Systematic policies aimed at eliminating the economic and social problems that push individuals to substance use (poverty alleviation and employment programs) must be implemented within the understanding of a social state. 

It is vital to make protective and preventive measures sustainable in cooperation with the government, local administrations, and civil society. Inpatient medical treatment is important, but not everything is medication. For this reason, psycho-social rehabilitation centers should be expanded. Rehabilitation efforts should be focused on sports, art, vocational training, and employment. The number of “counseling and follow-up centers” within local administrations should be increased. Information and awareness training in schools should be intensified. A large-scale, multi-dimensional cooperation must be established and a mobilization declared against the MET flowing into Turkey from Afghanistan, Iran, and Syria. Resources allocated to massive projects like Kanal Istanbul should be allocated to the fight against drugs. A Presidency for the Fight Against Drugs should be established to conduct the struggle from a single source.