VietNamNet Bridge – By the end of September 2014, Hanoi authorities estimated that there were more than 16,000 drug addicts in the city, including over 1,000 uncontrolled addicts.

Nguyen Kim Hung, who is in charge of social evil prevention at the Hanoi Department of Social Affairs, said that about 9,300 addicts were managed at rehabilitation centers, 6,500 controlled at the community and over 1,000 “wandering” addicts.

Hung said the latter were addicts at high risk for social orders because they are not under the control of any organization.

He complained that since the Law on Handling Administrative Violations took effect, it had been difficult to control drug addicts and to implement the compulsory rehabilitation program.

He said in the past nine months, Hanoi’s rehabilitation centers received and treated 405 addicts, including 163 people in the compulsory program, equivalent to 8.3% of the yearly plan, a fall of more than 2,100 people from the same period in 2013.

Because of the new regulations, it is extremely difficult to force drug addicts to go to rehabilitation centers or to participate in rehabilitation programs, Hung added.

Regarding methadone treatment for drug users in Hanoi, at a meeting with the National Committee for HIV/AIDS Prevention on October 16, Hanoi Vice President Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc said Hanoi had implemented this program prudently and successfully.

"There are 1,700 people treated by methadone and 47% of them have jobs. Hanoi will open another 24 Methadone detoxification treatments centers," Ngoc said.

She said that Hanoi would maintain three forms of rehabilitation: at the community, at rehabilitation centers and detoxification with methadone.

Also at this meeting, Hanoi vice chief police officer Nguyen Duy Ngoc said in the January-September period, the number of new drug addicts fell by 50 percent year in one year, with 229 new drug addicts.

Phi Ma