Action month for drug prevention to be launched

Communication work is the centre of the month to raise public awareness of anti-drug  law, and consequences of using, producing and trading drugs, particularly methamphetamine, marijuana, ketamine and LSD, which have become popular among youths.

The Ministry of Information and Communications will guide press agencies to cover the issue. Meanwhile, information on drug combat will be integrated into the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s art performances and sport programmes, and the Ministry of Education’s curricula.

The Government leader requested the Ministry of Public Security to instruct relevant forces to speed up investigations and crackdowns on drug trafficking rings and hotspots, and individuals and organisations using the Internet to sell and encourage the use of drugs. Strict punishment must be meted out to any driver who tests positive for drugs.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs was tasked with playing a primary role in carrying out the communication campaign on prevention of HIV/AIDs, drugs and prostitution, as well as enhancing supervision of drug addicts.

In addition, the General Department of Vietnam Customs was asked to carefully examine customs clearance to spot drug trafficking cases in a timely manner. 

In 2018, law enforcement handled 24,500 drug-related criminal cases and arrested more than 30,000 people. The Ministry of Public Security’s statistics showed there were more than 224,000 drug addicts on record, though the actual figure is believed to be much higher.