Narcotic drugs have been recognized as a common problem of the international community and a serious threat to humanity, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security Lt. Gen. Vilay Lakhamfong told a press conference in Vientiane on Oct 6 on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the National Anti-Drug Day (Oct 12, 2001-2022).
Lt. Gen. Vilay Lakhamfong said that drug abuse is a serious crime that hinders the economic and social development of the country. It harms its victims and causes tremendous impacts on their families.
Today, drug trafficking has become transnational that the government and people of Laos as well as countries around the world need to join hands to tackle and suppress.
In the Lao PDR, drugs abuse remains a major issue and sees an increasing trend, and there is prevailing demand for the problemto be addressed in a decisive manner.
In 2021, the Party and government of Laos tightened anti-drug measures by designating the addressing of drug issues as a national agenda along with tackling economic and financial difficulties.
The government also pays attention to encouraging families in remote and mountainous areas in the northern region of the country to shift from opium plantation to food crop farming.
Building treatment and rehabilitation centres for drug victims, improving and expanding community hospitals that provide counseling and treatment services for drug victims are among government’s efforts to address drug issues.
So far this year, with cooperation from relevant parties, domestic and foreign, the police has seized a large volume of drugs, weapons, precursors, and arrested a number of drug traffickers.
Today, in many localities, many young people, in factories, farmers, fall victim to drug abuse, thus causing violations. So we call on ministries, organizations and localities at all levels to provide cooperation and consider drug control, suppression and fight as a shared obligation and duty of all parties at all levels, attach greater attention to raising awareness among the Lao people, especially women, and the youth, of the menace and consequences of drug abuse.
Source: Lao News Agency