MINSK, 6 July (BelTA) – Belarus is intent on drawing attention of as many people as possible to the problem of psychoactive drugs. Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Boleslav Pirshtuk made the statement as he presented the Belarusian resolution on developing timely and effective legislative, regulatory, administrative measures to respond to the emergence of new psychoactive substances on the sidelines of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly session on 6 July, BelTA has learned.
The MP said: “We would like to draw attention of as many people as possible to the problem of the avalanche-like emergence of new psychoactive substances and their propagation.”
Boleslav Pirshtuk pointed out that new psychoactive substances are not regulated by the three main international conventions on fighting illegal drugs at present. Psychoactive substances emerge and spread out very rapidly. The speed poses a serious risk for human health. The Belarusian delegation initiated its own resolution in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly because timely and effective legislative, regulatory, administrative measures to respond to new psychoactive substances at the national level are of crucial importance in these conditions.
Belarus' experience is remarkable in this regard. Belarusian law enforcement agencies have managed to secure considerable success in fighting the spread of new drugs thanks to Belarus president decree No.6 of 28 December 2014 on immediate measures to counteract the illegal turnover of drugs.
The Belarusian resolution has already been backed by 44 MPs from 20 countries. “The fact indicates that the problem of new psychoactive drugs is a pressing one and requires immediate resolution,” stressed Boleslav Pirshtuk.
Parliamentarians from Hungary, Romania, Canada, Lichtenstein, Tajikistan, and Czechia, representatives of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the Transnational Threats Department of the OSCE Secretariat took part in the event arranged by Belarus on the sidelines of the OSCE PA session to discuss the problem of new psychoactive substances.
