Nghe An Province launches the Month of Action against Drug Abuse.

Accordingly, the Provincial People's Committee requested: enhancing the role, responsibility, and effectiveness of coordination among sectors from the provincial to the grassroots level; mobilizing the combined strength of the entire political system and the whole population to participate in drug prevention and control, aiming for a drug-free community.

Strengthening propaganda efforts to create a province-wide drug prevention and control communication campaign; enhancing intelligence gathering, prevention, combating, and suppression of drug-related crimes; improving the quality and effectiveness of drug rehabilitation; managing drug addicts and illegal drug users, and post-rehabilitation management, contributing to reducing the supply, demand, and harm caused by drugs.

The implementation of the anti-drug action month must be carried out synchronously, uniformly, consistently, and sustainably, ensuring effectiveness, practicality, and cost-efficiency; focusing on key areas and complex drug-related issues; and improving the effectiveness of coordination between forces within and outside the police sector.

Authorities and local residents marched to raise awareness about drug prevention and control in Nam Can commune, Ky Son district. (Photo: Lu Phu)

To fulfill the above request, the Provincial People's Committee proposes:

* Relevant agencies are strengthening and diversifying their propaganda activities.(Mobile propaganda, printing banners, posters, leaflets, slogans, concentrated propaganda, individual mobilization) reaching every neighborhood, household, and directly within the community, especially in key areas and locations with a high concentration of workers in industrial zones and large projects, high-risk areas, youth, and students.

Enhance the application of Industry 4.0 technologies, social media platforms (Zalo, Facebook), websites, mobile platforms, etc., in propaganda work.

The People's Committees of districts, cities, and towns shall base their activities on the requirements of drug prevention and control work in their areas to organize rallies, parades, and launching ceremonies for the Month of Action against Drugs and Illicit Trafficking in a suitable manner, creating a vibrant atmosphere for drug prevention and control in their areas.

*Launch a strong nationwide movement to protect national security, combined with building, consolidating, and replicating advanced models and best practices in drug prevention and control in 100% of communes, wards, and towns.

This includes organizing representatives of households in villages, hamlets, and residential areas to sign pledges not to participate in drug-related crimes or social vices, and to contribute to building drug-free border communes; and organizing people in areas at risk of cultivating plants containing narcotic substances to sign pledges not to cultivate such plants. It also involves strengthening the organization of "Police Listening to the People's Opinions" forums.((These activities can be organized separately or in combination) to promptly disseminate information to the public about policies, laws, methods, and tactics used by drug criminals; to encourage people to actively participate in preventing and reporting drug-related crimes and social evils; to understand the security situation, opinions, thoughts, and aspirations of the people... while also commending and highlighting exemplary individuals and advanced models who have made significant contributions to drug prevention and control in the area.(The organizational form and scale can be flexible depending on the actual conditions of the locality.

Authorities are proceeding to unseal the seized drugs. (Photo: Duc Vu)

- Effectively implement the work of meeting with and enlisting the support of influential figures in clans, villages, hamlets, religious leaders, village elders, village chiefs, and exemplary individuals in the commune... to form a network of propagandists in the community, mobilizing the participation and support of influential people in "cleaning up" drug use in the area.

- Continue to build and maintain advanced models and best practices in drug addiction treatment, post-treatment management, and community reintegration that operate effectively. At the same time, continue to strengthen and maintain effective models in drug prevention and control, such as: the "drug-free village/hamlet" model, the "drug prevention and control awareness club" model, etc.

- The People's Committee at the district level will continue to direct the development and replication of the effective model of "drug-free communes, wards, and towns" according to the criteria of the Provincial Police's "Drug-Free Commune" construction project.

The police of Tri Le commune (Que Phong district) collaborated with the Tri Le Border Guard to disseminate information about the "Drug-Free Border Commune" project. (Photo: Duc Vu)

* The Provincial People's Committee also requested the Police, Border Guard, and Customs forces:

- Strengthen proactive measures to monitor, analyze, and forecast the situation, promptly addressing emerging issues related to drug-related crimes and social vices in the area; organize intensive campaigns to attack and suppress drug crimes throughout the province.(from June 1st, 2023 to June 30th, 2023)Focus on vigorously combating and dismantling large-scale inter-provincial and transnational drug trafficking rings and networks; arresting ringleaders and key figures. Develop plans to combat drug crimes on air routes, postal services, express delivery, and technology-based delivery services. In particular, continue to prioritize forces and measures to strongly and decisively combat drug crimes along the Vietnam-Laos border, determined to maintain the "green zone" and secure checkpoints, preventing the recurrence of complex drug crime in the border area.

The crime scene and evidence of a case. Photo courtesy of Hong Ngoc.

- Strengthen the implementation of solutions to improve the effectiveness of eradicating drug use hotspots, effectively preventing and strictly handling acts of illegal drug use, especially the exploitation of motels, hotels, bars, karaoke establishments, etc., to organize illegal drug use.

- Expedite the investigation, prosecution, and trial of drug-related cases, ensuring strict adherence to the law. Select key cases for mobile trials in areas with complex drug problems, serving the purpose of raising awareness and deterring crime.

- Strengthen international cooperation activities in drug prevention and control; regularly exchange information and coordinate operations with functional forces of Xieng Khouang, Hua Phan, and Bolikhamsai provinces of the Lao People's Democratic Republic to effectively implement drug prevention and control work in the border area.

* Regarding the work of determining addiction status, addiction treatment, post-treatment management, and community reintegration, the Provincial People's Committee requests the relevant agencies to:

- Advise the Provincial People's Council on the development and promulgation of a Resolution stipulating a number of regimes and policies to support compulsory drug rehabilitation, voluntary drug rehabilitation, post-rehabilitation management, and the responsibility of contributions for voluntary drug addicts at drug rehabilitation facilities in Nghe An province.

- Continue to review, compile statistics, and accurately assess the situation of drug addicts and illegal drug users in the area, especially those exhibiting psychotic symptoms or "methamphetamine-induced psychosis," in order to closely manage them, particularly in key, complex areas with a high concentration of workers in industrial zones, export processing zones, and large construction projects. Based on this, proactively implement the work of identifying addiction status, creating dossiers, and applying appropriate rehabilitation measures, especially compulsory rehabilitation for individuals without stable employment, showing signs of criminal activity, and violating the law. Strive to achieve at least 60% of the target for compulsory rehabilitation dossier creation by the end of June 2023, as set out in Decision 4378/QD- dated December 30, 2022, of the People's Committee of Nghe An province on the announcement of socio-economic plan targets for 2023.

Administering detoxification injections to drug addicts addicted to synthetic drugs at the Vinh City Social Labor Center. (Photo: PV)

- Improve the effectiveness of addiction treatment, strictly manage the organization of treatment for addicts at treatment facilities, and prevent the illegal buying, selling, and use of "double" drugs. Continue to direct the effective implementation of the Methadone-based opioid substitution treatment program.

- Continue to review and ensure that the infrastructure and human resources of the medical system are adequate to determine the status of drug addiction, especially commune health stations; invest in, upgrade, and repair drug rehabilitation facilities in the area to effectively serve drug rehabilitation work in the province.

ButStrictly control legal activities related to drugs; prevent the loss of precursors, narcotic-containing pharmaceuticals, and psychotropic substances used for improper purposes; proactively prevent, detect, and severely punish illegal drug production in the area, especially synthetic drugs. At the same time, prioritize investment and economic development for people in remote and border areas, especially those who previously cultivated plants containing narcotics, to help them stabilize their lives and prevent them from re-cultivating such plants.