A drug addicted jade miner walks, with a needle stuck in his arm, near a 'shooting gallery'. Heroin is almost openly available in Hpakant with jade miners lining up for a shot which is as cheap as 2,000 Kyat (about USD 2.00). Drug-use is almost intrinsic to jade mining and these 'shooting galleries' operate openly in the mines. According to local community leaders, the drug-dealers around the jade mines and the villages nearby have been given the opportunity to operate with the connivence of local authorities who regularly get handsome bribes from the drug-dealers. However, local communities have stood against this practice, cracking down on these 'shooting galleries' with the help of religious leaders and volunteer-based public forces.