THE prices of methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as “shabu,” and marijuana in Pampanga significantly rose since the intensified campaign against illegal drugs was launched in 2016.
This was learned from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Central Luzon, noting that the two substances remain the most abused illegal drugs by users in the province.
Glenn Guillermo, PDEA-Central Luzon information officer, said that the price of shabu reached its all-time high of P6,800 per gram in 2018 from only P2,000 to P2,500 before President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in 2016.
Likewise, the price of marijuana increased by up to 71.4 percent from only P70 per gram in 2016 to P120 in December 2018, Guillermo disclosed.
Guillermo said that the increase of the prices of the said substances is due to the lack of supply in the market “since several drug pushers have already surrendered to the government under Oplan Tokhang.”
“Many notorious drug pushers have either surrendered and totally stopped their illegal activity or laid-low due to the fear of being caught by authorities. Due to this, the supply in the market weakened, resulting to the increase in price,” Guillermo said.
Guillermo said that the development in the prices of illegal substances is an indication that the campaign against illegal drugs is successful in stamping out their proliferation in the community.
“This just shows that we are on the right track towards our goal of stamping out the presence of illegal drugs and its dangerous effects to the community. Slowly, we are able to lessen the supply until we can totally eradicate it,” he said.