Drug+Availability+in+Vietnam

=**Drug Availability in Vietnam**=

There has been a significance presence and availability of drugs in Vietnam for as long as anyone can remember. Drug use has been a part of Vietnamese culture, and has existed in situations similar to that of prostitution. Drugs were cheap and easy to access, regardless of location.

Marijuana and Hashish
Marijuana use was not taboo in Vietnam - it was accepted. Soldiers and civilians could purchase marijuana in packed, pre-rolled cigarettes. The lack of federal or local regulations regarding marijuana allowed farmers to cultivate and sell the crop without difficulty. It has been reported (Vanderbilt) Marijuana use was pervasive throughout the Armed Forces, undoubtedly as a result of the local availability of the drug, and was treated much less seriously than other drug use.



Opiates
Opiate use was the most devastating aspect of the drug culture in Vietnam. Opiates were not available in the U.S. and usually had to be injected, a method that deterred most potential users. In Vietnam, however, heroin could be bought in such pure forms that it could be smoked in combination with marijuana or tobacco. The widespread availability of the near pure heroin made it all the more appealing to potential users; needles were not necessary and Marines could smoke the odorless heroin discreetly. The source of the heroin in Vietnam was the “Golden Triangle.” This term refers to a 350,000 sq. km area that spans four eastern countries including Vietnam. In 1969 and 1970, an advanced refinement process was developed that produced the 80-99% pure no. 4 heroin. The French were responsible for funding many of these opium refineries. From the Golden Triangle, heroin was shipped to Saigon for distribution. The Vietnamese military was often used to transport the drugs. A source reports, “In 1967 opium cost $1.00 while morphine went for $5.00 per vial.”(Vanderbilt) Heroin was available to anyone who wanted it.

Binoctal
Binoctal was available for very cheap. It did not become a serious problem for the Armed Forces when compared with heroin, but it was widely used. A fatal dose, 20 tablets, could be purchased for less than a dollar at any of the local stores that sold the drug over the counter.