ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on Drug Matters opens in Hanoi

Vietnam follows the policy of boosting bilateral ties with the ASEAN member states and partners, especially neighbouring countries, in the fight against drug crime, Deputy Minister of Public Security Le Quy Vuong told the 38th ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting

Vietnam follows the policy of boosting bilateral ties with the ASEAN member states and partners, especially neighbouring countries, in the fight against drug crime, Deputy Minister of Public Security Le Quy Vuong told the 38th ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on Drug Matters, which opened in Hanoi on July 25.

The 38th Meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials on Drug Matters (Source: asean.org)

Vietnam has actively joined the efforts of ASEAN to deal with complicated issues related to drug matters and related crimes, he said, adding that the country has proposed many feasible initiatives and ideas to promote intra-bloc cooperation and links, as well as facilitating external relations.

The deputy minister reported that Vietnam has taken synchronous measures to reduce drug demand and supply, while improving the legal framework in the field and raising public awareness of the dangers of illicit drugs and diversifying detoxification models.

He expressed his belief that the conference will contribute to delivering on ASEAN’s high-level commitments in the anti-drug fight for 2016-2025, towards the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Drug Matters scheduled for 2018 in Vietnam.

The East Asian and Southeast Asian region is now home to over 3 million heroin users and over 5 million methamphetamine abusers. The emergence of new narcotics and their increasing use since 2009 have posed great challenges to the ASEAN member states. The Golden Triangle area remains a hotspot of poppy tree cultivation and methamphetamine production.

The region also faces the comeback of drug-contained tree cultivation.

Last year, the ASEAN Community adopted the Plan of Action on drug prevention and control for 2016-2025.

The ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on Drug Matters will last till July 27.