Drugs

I don’t know why, but I am just fascinated by the drug market in Vietnam. Illegal drugs, not pharmaceuticals. I have written a few posts about it, maybe because these stories come up all the time. I wonder why the international press highlights these. Probably not for good reasons.

Anyway, drug seizures in Vietnam grew to 6 tonnes in the first quarter. That’s up year-over-year and is also triple that of 2017. According to the news report, only 20% of the drugs seized were for the local market.

It looks like the government is starting to get worried. The authorities said the drug scene is becoming problematic, with the city becoming a transit point for drugs thanks to its logistics and infrastructure.

Hot tip, your Vietnam Airlines pilot may just be a drug smuggler, or at least carry money back for drug lords. Especially from Australia. There are two cases where pilots have been convicted.

That comes from this article, which is excellent throughout.

I don’t want to minimize the problem of drugs in Vietnam. The government should try to limit drug use and trafficking. But some of these stories seem to be anti-Laotian (like many American reports tar Mexicans as all either being drug mules or drug lords – no middle ground), and focus on the horror stories.

I think it is right that the government is focused on dealing with the drug problem, because the crimes associated with the drug trade are really bad. But if we have learned anything by America’s experience, tough penalties don’t reduce drug sales. Ultimately, when farmers make just $1,000 a year, but get paid $200 per journey (both stats from the article linked above), it is going to be really compelling. Development and education are probably the most important way to change the culture of drug use and trafficking.