Most drug peddlers, users in their 20s – PDEA

MANILA, Philippines - Most drug peddlers and users in the country are in their 20s, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

The agency yesterday drew a profile of the most common street-level pusher whose average age is 29 years old.

PDEA director general Undersecretary Arturo Cacdac Jr. bared the updates based on the demographic profile done by the agency and the Dangerous Drugs Board on arrested street level-pushers and users who were admitted in government rehabilitation facilities.

Cacdac said the age group of drug dependents varies from 20 to 29 years old, and 57 percent of them were single.

According to Cacdac, most drug peddlers have poor educational background and were unable to finish high school. Most of the arrested drug pushers were married.

The ratio of male to female among the persons apprehended for selling illegal drugs is 6 to 1.

Cacdac said 73 percent of arrested drug offenders had peddled methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, while 26 percent sold marijuana, and ecstasy, one percent.

“A majority of drug dependents in the country are poly-drug users, which means they abuse multiple types of dangerous drugs. Shabu is still the drug of choice among 62 percent of admitted users. At the same time, 35 percent are using marijuana and three percent used other drugs,” Cacdac said in a statement.

The male drug users outnumbered the females 9 to 1.

“The average length of drug use among dependents prior to rehabilitation is usually six years,” he said.