Vietnam may decriminalize drug use
"Being addicted to or using drugs should be considered a disease, and should only be subject to administrative fines," - Mai member of Vietnam’s National Assembly.
Vietnam’s National Assembly has announced this month that it is considering decriminalizing drug use, downgrading the personal use of illegal narcotics from a criminal offence to an administrative violation.
Dealing in drugs would remain a serious criminal offence however, in some instances punishable with death. In reality this change in law would have little effect, as few drug users are imprisoned in Vietnam, instead many are sent to mandatory detoxification camps for up to five years at a time (despite the rate of relapse into drug use being very high upon release).
Nonetheless this development shows that even Vietnam, renowned for it’s harsh line on drug policy, is openly and maturely debating drug policy alternatives (which is more than can be said than for the UK).
