Youth volunteers distribute educational pamphlets with drug-related warning messages and information during a festival in Battambang province on October 17. NACD
Mobile education campaigns against drug use are being held at boat racing festivals across provinces nationwide, reaching millions of people. Meanwhile, criticism surrounding drug-related issues has decreased since the launch of the NoDrug app.
In collaboration with the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD), provincial authorities and other relevant institutions, the campaigns are being delivered through various means. These include distributing educational pamphlets, sharing warning messages and drug-related information by festival commentators and performances by actors and entertainers.
Additionally, attendees of these events can scan a QR code to download NoDrug, according to Lim Tong Huot, director of the Education and Public Relations Department of NACD.
“We are conducting this campaign in all provinces in accordance with their capacity, to raise awareness about drug issues, ensuring the public receives these important educational messages. Everyone attending the events along the rivers and streams hears the messages,” he said.
Huot explained that these mobile campaigns are successfully attracting public attention, raising awareness and encouraging participation in the fight against drugs.
Since its launch on April 23, the app has been downloaded by more than 35,000 users, with over 500 drug-related cases reported. More than 200 of these cases have already been resolved.
He noted that the app has significantly improved public education and the suppression of drug-related crimes in local areas, leading to a noticeable reduction in criticism of the authorities.
“This app has become a tool that allows citizens to report issues and have them resolved efficiently, creating fear among offenders, who are now more hesitant than before,” he said.
“Authorities have been able to quickly apprehend offenders, building trust among the public. The criticism that drug crimes were spreading uncontrollably without any effective intervention has mostly disappeared,” Huot added.
He added that the app ensures anonymity in reporting, which alleviates citizens' fears of retaliation from those involved in drug crimes. Unlike previous hotline reports, where reporters' identities could be traced through their phone numbers, the app protects users' identities.
“In the past, people were hesitant to report because the hotline could reveal their phone numbers, making them fear retaliation. But with this app, there is no identification, and everything is kept confidential,” he explained.
“Even the administrators do not know who is reporting; they only receive the data, such as the nature of the case and its location. There is no attachment of identity, like 'Mr. A' or 'Mr. B',” he said.
Due to the app’s effectiveness, the NACD is encouraging more citizens to download and use it to help report drug-related crimes or concerns.
“With this, we can solve drug-related problems,” Huot said.
Recently, the NACD partnered with the Phnom Penh municipal administration to place NoDrug QR code stickers on over 600 buses, making it easier for citizens to download the app.
Additionally, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice revealed that from October 8-14, the capital and provincial courts processed 82 drug-related cases, involving 261 suspects, of which 184 were detained.
