Long read: trouble in paradise – Maldives’ continuing battle with its drug-abuse problem

Maldives is famous as an island paradise. However, its geographical location and global connectivity have also brought it a drugs problem. Since 2011, the country has made strenuous efforts to reduce substance abuse and the Situational Analysis Report 2021, prepared by WHO and the National Drug Agency of Maldives, noted a 22% decrease in the use of drugs between 2016 and 2019. Yet, the issue has developed new aspects, which the journalist Seema Sengupta highlights through the case study of one practitioner who has been on both sides of the divide – of using and treating substance abuse in Maldives.