Panama ranks first in the consumption of addictive substances in Central America and the Caribbean,  says the preamble  to a law that creates the National Program for the Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation of Youth with Addiction Problems studies show that the young people, marijuana, tobacco, cigarettes, among others.”

For this reason, “it should be emphasized that drug addiction has to be treated as a disease, which, due to its alarming increase, must be treated as a public health problem; Unfortunately, a large number of patients addicted to alcohol or tobacco, to mention some addictive substances, have not had the opportunity to have a free treatment and rehabilitation option, much less a proposal to reintegrate into society, which has as a consequence that a vicious circle is generated and that the State is obliged to counteract.”

Elmer Caballero, chief deputy commissioner of the San Francisco Police Zone, indicates that last year (2021), at the national level, an average of 657 operations against micro-trafficking were carried out and 750 people were apprehended, in  the provinces of Panamá Oeste, Panamá, Los Santos and Veraguas where most of the operations were carried out.

In the first ten days of February 2022, 108 people were apprehended and 2,523 doses of illicit substances linked to micro-trafficking were seized.

Deputy Commissioner Caballero details that a person's addiction results in robbery since he does not have money to satisfy his addiction, he will carry out these acts to achieve it.