Illicit Drug use in the Asia Pacific Region - Burnet Institute

Situational analysis of illicit drug issues and responses in the Asia–Pacific region
108
Law enforcement responses
The Ministry of Interior is the key agency for
law enforcement (G . Shaw, personal communication,
2005) . Within the National Police,
anti-drug units (700 personnel) have been
established; the Phnom Penh Municipal
Anti-Narcotics Police Unit (170 staff) also
carries out drug enforcement operations in
the capital . Ministry of Justice personnel are
also active in the work of the NACD and
in UNODC projects and training activities
(G . Shaw, personal communication, 2005) .
The Ministry of Health has responsibility
for controlling manufacturing, importation,
trading and distribution of licit drugs and
psychotropic substances (G . Shaw, personal
communication, 2005) . This Ministry also
works with Customs in controlling the imports
of licit drugs and psychotropic substances
(G . Shaw, personal communication, 2005) .
Most seized drugs are sent abroad for testing
as the Ministry has only basic testing
facilities; this arrangement has been shown
to be time-consuming and impractical for
judicial processing of drug cases (G . Shaw,
personal communication, 2005) .
Legislation/penalties/prison
The Law on the Control of Drugs 1997
covers the main legal issues relating to drug
use in Cambodia . According to the UNODC
(2004), while drug laws exist in Cambodia,
they are rarely applied, and with insufficient
law enforcement and judicial capacities the
implementation of the law, to date, has been
ineffective . Presently, the Ministry of Justice
in collaboration with the NACD Secretariat is
amending the laws on drug control .
All 87 lawmakers who attended the National
Assembly session in March 2005 voted in
favour of 49 amendments to toughen drug
laws (United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime Cambodia, 2005) . The time schedule
for approval by the Senate and King is
not stated . A press release by the UNODC
(United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Cambodia, 2005) reported that, under the
new system, penalties will increase according
to the quantity of drugs involved, gaol terms
will be mandatory (previously it was up to
judges whether a fine or prison term or both
were imposed, severity of punishment was
unrelated to drug quantities) . For example,
one amendment specifies that, for leading a
drug trafficking ring, life imprisonment and
a fine of 500 million riel (US$125,000) will
result, compared to life imprisonment or a
fine of 100 million riel (US$25,000) or both
under the previous laws . However, the Prime
Minister of Cambodia appears supportive of
drug control laws that provide health and
support for drug users rather than prison
sentences (National Authority for Combating
Drugs, 2003) .
Prison system
No data currently exist on the number of
drug users, HIV, prevention programs, interventions,
etc in the Cambodian prison system .
The NACD has no influence or authority over
prison populations involved in drug issues in
Cambodia, despite the Ministry of Justice
being a member of the NACD .
Health and treatment responses
No drug treatment and rehabilitation services
are currently available for the general population
. The five-year master plan outlines the
establishment of policies and services for drug
treatment . Street children/youth in Phnom
Penh and Poipet have access to limited
counselling, treatment, rehabilitation and
reintegration activities run by several NGOs .
Methodone is not available because of costs
and a pilot needle and syringe program has
begun in the last couple of years .
At present the only government-run facility is
the Youth Rehabilitation Centre, called Chom
Chao Rehabilitation Centre (Ministry of Social
Affairs), on the outskirts of Phnom Penh .
However, it lacks trained medical personnel
and has virtually no prevention or treatment
interventions for detoxification or rehabilitation
. The centre admits children who abuse
drugs, and also serves as a youth detention
centre (United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime, 2004) .
The Ministry of Health has established a
counselling and outpatient unit as part of
the mental health unit of the Preah Sihanouk
Hospital, Phnom Penh (United Nations Office
on Drugs and Crime & National Authority
for Combating Drugs, no date) .
To address the lack of treatment for drug
users, the Cambodian Government has approved,
in principle, the establishment of
one drug abuse centre in Phnom Penh
(United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
& National Authority for Combating Drugs,
no date) .
The 2006–2010 Master Plan outlines the
following activities in relation to its plans
for treatment:
• Develop drug abuse treatment rehabilitation
and reintegration policy for government
approval .
• Establish drug treatment and rehabilitation
services in Phnom Penh and in
priority provinces .
• Create a counselling team for follow-up
of patients at the community and family
level .
• Encourage involvement of communities,
NGOs, families, religions and former drug
users in the treatment, rehabilitation and
reintegration into society and follow-up
of drug users .
Other responses
The NGO sector provide interventions for
illicit drug users, on a limited basis, as part
of their work with groups such as street
children, commercial sex workers, fishermen,
prisoners and migrant workers (Humeniuk
et al ., 2004; United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime, 2004) . Efforts are concentrated
in Phnom Penh and the north-west of the
country (Humeniuk et al ., 2004) .
A pilot needle and syringe program (NSP), as
part of a broad harm reduction program, is
operating in Phnom Penh under authorisation
from NACD (2004–2006 inclusive); a second
NGO has received similar authorisation from
NACD to commence another NSP in 2005 as
part of a broader harm reduction program
(personal communication, May 2005) .
109
Country profiles: Cambodia