Thursday, 22 January 2009

Cambodia to tighten drug controls

Phnom Penh, Jan 22 (VNA) - Cambodia will introduce draft legislation to better control the use and trafficking of illicit drugs, Cambodian officials announced.

If a new draft law is introduced in March, as expected, drug traffickers will receive harsher punishments for possessing smaller quantities of illegal substances, the Phom Penh Post said on Jan. 21.

Under the proposed law, drafted by the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD) at the Ministry of Interior, individuals found to be in possession of 80 grams of heroin will be given a sentence of life imprisonment.

Currently, life sentences are only given to those who are found to be in possession of 100 grams or more.

The draft legislation, formulated with the advice of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), will also strive to comply with international drug control laws, including those that apply to prescription drugs that can be purchased over the counter in Cambodia, officials said.

–(VNA)

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