ASEAN lays out 10-year drug management plan

BANGKOK, August 24 (TNA) - Member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) jointly lay out an action plan to handle drug problems over the next decade (2016-2025), taking similar plans in Europe and Australia as models. The 10-year action plan is being worked out at the 37th Meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials On Drug Matter (ASOD), held in Bangkok during August 24-27 and chaired by Thai Justice Minister General Paiboon Khumchaya. The content of the 10-year plan will comply with a UN resolution which realises that drug problems are never completely eradicated and focuses on treatments of drug addicts as patients instead. The justice minister acknowledged although Thailand is not yet ready to give up death sentencing against drug traders or to legalise some kinds of narcotics, the country has tried to implement some measures allowing drug use by addicts, classified as patients, in case the drugs are legally-prescribed by doctors. The minister said apart from taking European and Australian drug plans as models, his ministry, in cooperation with other agencies concerned namely the Ministry of Public Health and the Royal Thai Police, will proceed with the Prachrat Ruam Jai Against Drugs Project in 80,000 villages nationwide, under which drug addicts will be detected to receive treatments as patients. (TNA)