She said this during a public talk on youth and the danger of drugs, which was held at Demawso Township Hall on May 9.

“Fifty percent of the youths are using drugs. We can’t tell the youths not to use drugs. Actually, the departments and civil society organizations need to cooperate. Only then can we reduce the drug abuse,”  

The authorities have not given any accurate answer to the question on whether they plan to build a youth rehabilitation center.

Majority of the drug users in Demawso Township are youths and they were testing with objects that can cause them become under the influence of a drug and some of the users are adults, according to the Demawso Township Police Chief Aung Min.

“Many youths use [drugs]. They want to test among themselves. They don’t think about the side effects if they use the drugs. Most of the drug users that have been arrested are youths,” he said.

Youth rehabilitation centers are located in Shwe Pyi Thar and Mandalay and the police will officially send the youths to these centers if they want to go into rehab and they will not be arrested, he added.

A participant advised the government departments and officials to explain about the drugs in the drug awareness campaign and the danger of drugs can be reduced if the public understands it well.

Pyithu Hluttaw MP, township police chief, law officer, township treatment department from Demawso Township General Hospital, civil society organizations, state head, and deputy director participated in the public talk, which was led by the Information and Public Relations Department in Demawso Township Hall.

Eleven drug cases have been reported in Demawso Township last year and 17 men and one woman have been arrested and 3,987 methamphetamine tablets have been seized.

Seven drug cases have been reported from January to April this year and 2,150 methamphetamine tablets and 3.90 viss of raw opium have been seized, according to Demawso Myoma Police Station.