Vientiane aims to be drug free in two years
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Vientiane authorities are doing their utmost to prevent and suppress the trade of narcotic drugs in response to their ambitious goal to declare the city drug-free by 2015.
The city authorities have made outstanding achievements in the control and suppression of narcotic drugs over the past few years, according to a Vientiane Commission for Drug Co ntrol and Supervision official.
But drug dealing and transportation as well as addiction to drugs continues, as Laos acts as a transit point for illegal drugs produced in neighbouring countries.
Vientiane set targets in 2012 to curb trafficking and reduce the number of people using drugs and will continue to pursue this goal to make Vientiane 100 per cent free of drugs by 2015, according to the commission official.
“So far, 281 of 483 villages in Vientiane have been declared drug-free zones,” he told the Vientiane Times on Thursday.
From now until 2015 the authorities are continuing their work to control illegal drugs and create drug-free villages in all districts, by making the villages themselves the focal point of prevention efforts.
“We need to make a firm decision to crack down on and suppress drug traffickers and traders using severe measures based on the law,” he said.
According to the commission, Vientiane is aiming to wipe out drugs from 100 villages each year, establishing drug-free zones.
Prior to 2011, only about 10 or 20 villages were drug-free zones as the campaign was not as widespread or concerted, he said. Some communities were found to be harbouring drug dealers so they cannot be declared model villages.
Former Vientiane Mayor Dr Sinlavong Koutphaythoune initiated the plan to make Vientiane drug-free by 2015 back in June 2008, during a speech to mark International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
Vientiane has 483 villages in nine districts and police typically discover about 100 or 200 amphetamine pills each week, according to 2012 data.
