Vietnam adopts law on drug control
HANOI - Vietnam's national assembly has passed its first
law on drug control and prevention, focusing more on
preventive measures than criminal punishment, the official
press reported Wednesday.
The legislation, which was passed Tuesday after several
days of heated debate, is based on provisions in the
existing criminal code, the English-language Vietnam
News said.
The broad law deals with detoxification and rehabilitation
of drug addicts, discouraging opium cultivation and
controlling drug trafficking.
It recognises that the prevalence of drugs is a social
problem and that addicts are not offenders or criminals.
Addicts aged between 12 and 18 will now be sent to
detoxification centres if they fail to quit their habits at
home.
The law will also give greater powers to anti-drug police
to conduct investigations. For instance, they will be
allowed to request post offices open parcels, or demand
to inspect balance sheets and bank accounts.
The law, which has been redrafted many times since
1993, will take effect next June.
The papers made no comment on death penalties for
drug-related offences included in the law and officials
were not available for comment.
In the first nine months of the year, Vietnamese courts
condemned a record 86 people to death and 87 others
to life in jail for drug trafficking and abuse.
Under the country' tough criminal laws introduced in
1997, possession of 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of heroin or
five kilograms (11 pounds) of opium carries the death
penalty.
Agence France Presse - December 7, 2000.
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