Phnom Penh (FN), May 8 – The Senior Official Committee Meeting of the Signatories to the 1993 Memorandum of Understanding on Drug Control was held at the Raffles Hotel Le Royal on Monday.

China, Vietnam, Thai, Laos, Myanmar, and the United Nations were all in attendance.

The meeting focused on derailing the transnational drug trade and its ill effects on health, security, and social development across the region.

"Due to the globalization of economy and trade, we face complex issues such as natural disasters, terrorism, transnational crimes, human trafficking, environmental issues, money laundering, and drugs," stated Kao Khun Dara, deputy chairman of the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD) and chairman of Committee for International Cooperation on Anti-drug Campaign.

"Some countries have decriminalized marijuana and make allowances for its use in medicine. In Cambodia, we have done our best to ban and restrict it," the chairman added.

However, there has not been a great reduction in marijuana production, and distribution.

Cambodia is currently in the throes of an anti-drug campaign.

In the first quarter of 2017, there have been 6,132 arrests and 36kg of drugs seized.
=FRESH NEWS