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16 November 2018, 10:14

Call for new anti-drug strategy in Belarus

MINSK, 16 November (BelTA) – Deputy State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Andrei Vtyurin deems it necessary to work out efficient well-considered measures in order to take the anti-drug campaign to a new level. The matter was raised at the inter-ministerial session to discuss ways to improve coordination in combating illegal drug trade and preventing drug abuse, BelTA has learned.

Andrei Vtyurin noted that anti-drug efforts are often taken on mostly by the police and healthcare institutions, while there are a great number of other agencies involved in this campaign. “This reveals the lack of efficiency of measures, first of all, awareness raising efforts, to shape the right attitude to illegal drug trade. The same pertains to the Internet: are the measures taken to protect the national segment of the Internet from drug trafficking efficient enough and adequate?” he asked.

Andrei Vtyurin believes that it is important to study public opinion in order to determine the position and expectations of people regarding methods and ways of state response to the drug threat. The results of such a survey will help better understand what people expect from the authorities and the police, what they believe should be the focus of efforts. Public opinion should also be taken into account while elaborating the further strategy of the anti-drug policy. According to Andrei Vtyurin, there are many other difficult issues facing the anti-drug campaign. “Therefore, it is necessary to come up with efficient and well-considered joint efforts to advance this work to a much higher level,” he added.

He noted that the country keeps the situation under control. New legal acts in this field made a meaningful contribution to the anti-drug campaign. “Although the scale of drug trafficking in the country has reduced according to some estimates, this issue remains a threat to national security in many areas: economy, demography, defense and social field,” Andrei Vtyurin said.

He believes that the state should adopt clear-cut, transparent and understandable measures to prevent any attempts to involve people in drugs. The fight against drugs should be fast and tough and it should proceed from the interests of the majority. “I think this policy will be upheld by people of our country,” he added.

Minsk hosted the fourth inter-ministerial session to discuss ways to improve coordination in combating illegal drug trade and preventing drug abuse on 15 November. Taking part in it were heads of government agencies and other people involved in prevention of drug abuse and drug-related crimes.

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