Press-Release №35
Questions with no answers
Can drug addiction be overcome?
Drug addition, along with dissemination of such heavy diseases as AIDS, oncology, tuberculosis, etc., is one of the most serious problems of the Chechen Republic nowadays, especially in the youth environment. In opinion of independent experts, there are about 20 thousand addicts in the republic today. However, according to official information, there are only about two thousand persons, which means ten times less.
Simultaneously, with growth of number of addicts, the quantity of crimes related to illegal sell and purchase of narcotics and drug-containing substances grows as well. During first nine months of the last year employees of law-enforcement structures had revealed 62 crimes with withdrawal of drugs, while for the similar period in 2006 there had been only 17 such crimes revealed. It is obvious that there is increase in number of crimes in sphere of illegal circulation of narcotic substances. During the same period of time in the republic six narco-kens have been liquidated, 150 kg of strong and 24,5 kg of poisonous substances were withdrawn from illegal circulation.
The number of registered drug crimes is very impressive. Last year there were 558, while in the previous year they had reached 423. It says about ineffectiveness of measures taken by security officers struggling against dissemination of drug addiction, illegal selling and purchase of drugs and drug-containing substances. According to official data, annually at least 100 women appear in places of imprisonment because of realization of drugs.
As representatives of law enforcement bodies consider, the most of drugs get into the republic from adjacent republics and regions, in particular, Ingushetia, Stavropol and Dagestan. In order to block channels of drug delivery to the Chechen Republic not only serious forces are required, but also serious financial assets are needed, which will allow to supply workers of respective departments and structures with the necessary equipment, transport, etc.
The republican narco-dispenser registered 900 people, majority of which are drug addicts. Naturally, this category of citizens requires serious help, corresponding treatment, etc., which is impossible to do in current conditions. The fact that the level of drug addiction in the republic is a little bit low, than in the whole Russia, requires cardinal decisions. According to some experts, the main emphasis in the struggle against dissemination of drug addiction is necessary to do on preventive measures and awareness campaign among youth.
In order to reveal and treat drug addicts on earlier stage it is necessary to construct new establishments of public health services. Opening of the Republican narcological clinic for 104 places in December of 2007 in the city of Grozny, as well as the republican program "Complex measures of counteraction to drug addiction and their illegal circulation for 2006-2009" approved in 2006 year, naturally, cannot solve all existing problems, if all forces and allocated means will not be used for this purpose.
Many inhabitants of the republic quite often express their bewilderment by the fact that "observers of law and order", rarely detain big drug sellers, "sharks" of narco-business, they just arrest small dealers and some addicts. Certainly, such approach to this problem does not bring any serious successes.
Regarding "dealers of white death", according to opinion on many of citizens, it is necessary to apply strict measures, even apply such punishment as life imprisonment. Simultaneously, propagation of healthy life should be strengthened. Otherwise, our society risks to lose tens thousand citizens.
27 June 2008
Information Center for CNO
The press-release is prepared and issued with support of Human Rights and Governance Grants Program at the OSI-Budapest. The Institute is not responsible for the activity of the Information Center for CNO and material published on the organization’s website.