Advocacy group calls for reform of Burma’s drug laws and policies
The key recommendations raised by DPAG included decriminalization of drug use and of small-scale poppy farming by those with limited sources of livelihood
Friday, February 17, 2017
The Drug Policy Advocacy Group (DPAG) has called for a reform of Burma’s drug laws, demanding new policies focusing on the rehabilitation of drug users. “The 1993 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law focuses on punishment. But what then, after a drug user is given imprisonment?” asked Dr. Nang Pann Ei Kham, coordinator of DPAG, during a panel discussion in Rangoon. According to the law, anyone found guilty “shall be punished with imprisonment for a term, which may extend from a minimum of 5 years to a maximum of 10 years and may also be liable to a fine.” DPAG has been working to develop an advocacy platform for “non-punitive, evidence-based drug policy changes”. (See: 'Found in the Dark' - The Impact of Drug Law Enforcement Practices in Myanmar)
