Interior minister Sar Sokha addresses the Coordinating Committee for the Promotion, Implementation and Monitoring of Anti-Drug Work on July 30. - Photo: The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
PHNOM PENH: After discovering that new drugs are severely damaging the brains of young people, Minister of Interior Sar Sokha instructed capital and provincial police to develop a plan within a week to eliminate their use at nightclubs and KTV parlours.
The directive was issued during an announcement ceremony for the ministry’s Coordinating Committee for the Promotion, Implementation and Monitoring of Anti-Drug Work on Tuesday (July 30).
Sokha emphasised that all capital and provincial police stations have one week to prepare a strategy and must begin implementing it within the following week.
“While these venues may appear as simple beer gardens from the outside, inside they often hide rampant drug use and other addictive substances being consumed,” he said.
Sokha, also deputy director of the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD), highlighted the growing concern over the drug situation in the country.
He noted that the quantity of illicit substances discovered by authorities has increased significantly compared to previous years, with large-scale production and processing becoming more common.
He pointed out that currently, the drug being produced and consumed most is methamphetamine (also known as meth, crystal or ice), rather than pills as before.
He stressed that the shift from pills to meth poses a greater danger to users, particularly the youth.
“[Drugs] are not in pill form anymore but in powder form, which is cheaper to buy and has more severe effects on users,” he said.
“If people ... use these drugs even just three times, it can cause immediate and severe brain damage, which is our biggest concern,” he added.
Sokha instructed relevant authorities and all provincial governors to support the campaign alongside other ongoing efforts from now until the end of the year.
“We are diligently addressing this issue. We need to anticipate what new drugs might emerge and how we can tackle them.
"It is crucial that we all cooperate and actively participate in this effort,” he said.
Sam Vicheka, spokesman for the Phnom Penh Municipal Police, mentioned that the municipal police have previously taken measures and raided entertainment clubs.
However, with the new directive, they will meet to disseminate it and plan further actions.
“So far, we have inspected and taken action at various sites one after another,” he said.
Sokha also instructed the leaders of all units under the ministry and the capital and provincial administrations to work with the Secretariat of the Committee for the Promotion of Education and Training of Trainers (TOT).
He said this aims to ensure that all officials, civilians, national police and prison staff are aware of the effects and dangers of drugs, so they can protect themselves and their families.
Additionally, Sokha advised authorities to conduct regular educational campaigns at popular entertainment venues among young people, such as shopping malls, karaoke clubs and cinemas, to raise awareness about the harmful effects of drug use. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
