(VOVworld) – A meeting was held in Hanoi on Tuesday in response to International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, June 26th. This year’s event is themed ‘Enhancing drug prevention and supporting drug users to reintegrate into the community’.

The UN International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26 is supported by individuals, communities, and various organizations all over the world. (Photo: iStockphoto.com/webking)

Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs Nguyen Trong Dam said drug prevention and control was a complicated and long-term mission. The 2014 UN message calls on each community member to become active in combating the problem. Dam said: “To respond to the action month for drug prevention and control, I want to call on sectors at all levels, people from all walks of life, students, and pupils to say No to drugs in any forms. We should increase understanding among family members, relatives, and the community about the evils of drug and ways to protect them. We should be determined to develop drug-free residential areas, schools, and offices.”

Statistics from the Ministry of Public Security show that so far this year Vietnam has more than 182,000 drug addicts of all ages, but the problem is mainly among young people. Less than one fifth of them are undergoing detoxification treatment at rehabilitation centers and over 1,500 others at home. More than 17,000 drug users have been treated under the “Methadone maintenance treatment” program.