June 26 is the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Daw Khine Khine Lei, a member of the Mon State Parliament noted on this day, that it is crucial to reduce the number of drug users in the country.
During a virtual event to mark the International Day which was held at the Ramanarahta Buddhist University, Mon State’s Mawlamyine Capital, Daw Khine Khine said, “The most important point is to reduce the number of the drug users. Citing a popular campaign tagline, she added, Support [the drug users]. Do not punish [them]”,
The talk was broadcast by major Mon State based media organizations live through Facebook.
For drug users to quit their drug habit, it is necessary to provide broad public awareness of how to contact a rehab centre and get the support necessary to quit their use of illicit drugs, argued Daw Khine Khine Lei.
“Everyone thinks that anyone who uses drugs, will be arrested. But no one dares to speak about quitting drugs. In a household, if there is one person in the family using drugs, everyone will be afraid of when the police officers will come to arrest them. But that is not true. Whether they want to quit or not, the family member should reach out to [community based] organizations and ask for help to quit drugs. If they are using drugs, it’s okay to inform. The government will not punish. That’s my message to give,” said Daw Khine Khine Lei.
Nai Zaw Min Oo, a member of New Mon State Party (NMSP) Thaton District Executive Committee, pointed out that parents are bringing their children, who are drug users, to the rehab centre in the NMSP controlled area.
“The parents bring their children to our center as they are worried that their children will be violent at home or set the house on fire. But there are very few parents who say their children are using drugs,” he noted during the talk.
Based on the experience of the rehab center program, drug users are able to recover from their addiction if they are admitted to the center for 3 months.
“In Mon State, there is no rehab camp. There is only one rehab center. Not many drug users who want to quit know about this rehab center. Those who know of the center are afraid of getting arrested. So, I want to give this message to the youth and other people too, that it is necessary to provide knowledge to the drug users to address their concerns,” said Min Chan Mon, assistant in-charge person of Mitta Satamahm, Community Based Drama, a community based organization helping to educate youth of the dangers of illicit drug use.
During the talk, it was noted that despite the work of the rehab center, they do not always have medical staff on hand. For drug users who have serious health complications it is sometimes necessary to send these people to the hospital. It was also pointed out that the state and regional governments do not have a budget to address the campaign needs to combat illicit drug use and to support rehabilitation.
The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking event was organized by the Mon Youth Progressive Organization (MYPO), along with other partner organizations.
The groups are collaborating to help combat illicit drug use amongst youth, and share in the goals of treating drug users as human beings, not to discriminate, and not to publish individuals’ names. The groups are united in their belief that sending drug users to jail repeatedly is not as effective as raising awareness about the dangers of illicit drug use, and increasing effective rehabilitation and health related services.
