Fight drug abuse and illicit trafficking for all mankind

Since the UN General Assembly 1987 designated 26th June as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, it has been the 35th time the countries across the globe have been holding ceremonies in commemoration of the day every year.
Myanmar has been conducting special drug eradication operations in cooperation with neighbouring countries: Operation 1511 by Greater Mekong Sub-region’s six countries in 2020, Operation Mekong by Myanmar, Laos and Thailand in 2021 and Operation 1511/22 from January to March 2022. As a result, the influx of precursor chemicals into the golden triangle area and the outflow of drugs from that area were successfully curbed.
Chemicals are must-haves for the production of consumer goods, manufacturing industries and mining mineral resources. When these chemicals find their illegal way to the places where narcotic drugs are produced, they are used as designer precursors.
The government strives for rural development and poverty alleviation while seeking assistance from international organizations to undertake alternative development tasks in order to enhance the social life of local poppy growers.
Development undertakings are mushrooming in poppy-growing areas, and training courses on agriculture and livestock breeding are conducted by spending large sums of money on the reduction of poppy growing. The Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Education jointly raise public awareness of the danger of drugs through various ways and means.
The Ministry of Health manages 29 drug addiction treatment departments and 59 units, and 89 methadone clinics to enable drug addicts to receive treatment and ease consequent dangers of hazards. These units provided treatments to 26,318 drug addicts and gave methadone drugs to 25,816 patients in 2021. So far, 14 rehabilitation camps give training to the former drug addicts who have been treated for their re-unification in society. In 2021, the rehabilitation camps were opened in Wethtikan, Mandalay, Myitkyina and Kengtung.
Myanmar has signed three UN conventions to solve the drug problems in cooperation with the international community. Myanmar joins hands with the Myanmar-based United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime-UNODC, the Australian Federal Police-AFP, the Drug Enforcement Administration-DEA of the United States, the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission (NNCC) of China, and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board-ONCB of Thailand in the elimination of drugs.
The government emphasizes drug eradication as a national duty while the CCDAC decides to measure drug abuse control in various ways and means. As such, the entire people should join hands with the government in successfully overcoming the drug-related challenges.