ဖော်ပြချက်/အကြောင်းအရာ:
Key Points:
• Myanmar has serious drug use problems, largely related to unsafe practices such as
needle sharing by injecting heroin users. The country?s current approach to addressing
drug-related problems focuses on repression, mainly by arresting and incarcerating drug
users. This paper analyses the impact of drug law enforcement practices on drug users
in Myanmar. It shows the failure of the current drug law enforcement system, with drug
users and their families as the principal victims.
•
The criminalisation of drug use and possession for personal use is heavily impacting the
lives of drug users and their families. It is cause for stigmatisation by the community they
live in; it increases risky drug use behaviour, and is the basis for police harassment and
corruption.
•
The vast majority of arrests made as a result of drug laws concern drug users and small
dealer/users. Prisons are overcrowded with drug users sentenced to excessively long jail
terms. Prisons and labour camps lack appropriate health care and do not provide for the
basic needs of inmates. Very few large-scale traffickers are targeted for arrest or have
been put in prison.
•
Female drug users, in particular, have received very little support to face their problems.
Often abandoned by their families and communities, female drug users are in need of
services targeting their specific needs.
•
Instead of a repressive approach, voluntary and evidence-based treatment and public
health services, including harm reduction, should be made available to people who
use drugs. Harassment by enforcement officials and corruption in the justice system
should be addressed. A harm reduction approach needs to become generally accepted
by enforcement officials and by the community at large. Myanmar?s drug laws should
be reformed to address these issues, and support drug users and other marginalised
communities affected by drugs instead of punishing them.
ရင်းမြစ်:
Transnational Institute (TNI)
Date of Publication:
2016-09-00
Date of entry:
2016-10-20
Grouping:
- Individual Documents
အကြောင်းအရာ/အမျိုးအစား:
Language:
English