Need to reduce drug demand

	Enforcement authorities busts 67, 000 cases and seizes about 10 tons of drugs
	Summary of Project A724p: Effectiveness from coordination work
	Joint efforts to destroy many big drug crime rings

Dinh Ba Border Gate Customs Branch (Dong Thap Customs Department) coordinates with Dong Thap Border Guard and Dong Thap Police to arrest a man carrying 4 kg of drugs from Cambodia to Vietnam on September 13, 2024.

The supply has been controlled

According to the Ministry of Public Security, with the viewpoint of preventing and stopping drugs from afar, early, from the starting point; proactively grasping the situation, fighting, arresting the entire network, masterminds, and leaders; investigating and handling thoroughly, not making wrongful convictions, not letting criminals escape, the police force has coordinated with competent forces to strengthen the fight against drug crimes.

According to the Department of Drug Crime Investigation (C04, Ministry of Public Security), from 2022 to present, the police has presided over and coordinated with other forces to handle more than 67,000 cases, arresting more than 105,000 suspects.

Notably, the seized evidence amounted to nearly 1.6 tons of heroin; more than 1.7 tons of marijuana; more than 7.6 tons and 7 million synthetic drug pills.

The above results show that the competent forces have controlled the supply of drugs from outside the territory into our country, preventing Vietnam from becoming an international drug transit hub.

Drug addicts are getting younger

Although the supply of drugs from abroad to Vietnam has been controlled, the demand for drugs in the country is still high.

The total number of illegal drug users, drug addicts, and people under post-rehabilitation management as of October 2024 is 228,215. Of which, 37,382 are illegal drug users, 170,067 are drug addicts, and 20,766 are under post-rehabilitation management.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, the actual number of drug addicts and illegal drug users in the community is even larger than the above figure.

Alarmingly, the age of drug users tends to be younger, from 12 to 30 years accounting for 44.6%; from 30 years and more accounting for 55.4%, concentrated in the group without a job or with an unstable job (accounting for 60%), mainly using synthetic drugs.

With the current number of illegal drug users and drug addicts, especially the number outside the community is still high (95,644), identified as a high demand” for drug consumption, seriously affecting public health, labor resources, causing great damage to the economy...

In addition, the situation of organizing, harboring, and enticing others to illegally use drugs continues to be complicated, especially at conditional business establishments and sensitive services to security and order.

Recently, there has been a situation of subjects renting and using motels, motels, hotels, apartments, and high-end resorts to organize illegal drug use.

The whole country currently has 126 points and 4 complex drug hotspots, 4 complex drug hotspots operating in cyberspace, 2,787 business establishments with conditions on security and order and sensitive services that pose a potential risk of criminal activities and drug abuse; 3,965 drug retailers.

Notably, there have been a number of cases of state officials, civil servants, artists, and football players participating in organizing illegal drug use.

The use of “laughing gas” and “disguised” drugs, marinated and mixed into food, drinks, herbs, cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, etc., is increasingly complicated, especially among young people, at conditional business establishments and sensitive services to security and order.

Fighting to arrest the entire network

To focus on reducing the demand for drugs, the Ministry of Public Security will focus on key solutions such as:

Effectively implementing Plan No. 483 dated October 7, 2024 of the Ministry of Public Security on the peak of the general review, statistics, detection of illegal drug users, drug addicts and solving complicated drug hotspots and illegal drug retailers.

Strengthening information on the law and the harmful effects of drugs, especially in complicated areas, places that are reviewed as complicated hotspots or dangerous spots, which are conditional business establishments or traditional risk spots.

The subjects of information target to students, workers in industrial parks, export processing zones, and construction sites; people in the residential community and owners, managers, employees of conditional business establishments, those managing apartment buildings, residential groups, etc.

Promoting the application of science and technology in the management of drug addicts and illegal drug users.

Focusing on fighting and arresting drug criminals in the direction of "expanding the entire network".

Further enhancing the effectiveness of coordination between investigation agencies and prosecutors at all levels in collecting and consolidating documents and evidence to handle drug crimes, to effectively prevent the supply from affecting the domestic drug demand.

Effectively implementing the conclusion of the Central Judicial Inter-agency on more severe sanction of the crime of illegal possession of drugs.

Implementing solutions to improve the effectiveness of drug rehabilitation work. Prioritizing funding for upgrading, repairing, building new facilities, and improving the capacity of public drug rehabilitation facilities to ensure effective and legal drug rehabilitation.

Coordinating with other forces to implement professional measures to ensure security and order at drug rehabilitation facilities, prevent sabotage, smuggling of drug and other items, preventing violations of the law at drug rehabilitation facilities in the area; improving the effectiveness of post-rehabilitation management and prevention of drug relapse...