President Shavkat Mirziyoyev approved the National Strategy to Fight Drug Addiction and Drug Crimes in Uzbekistan for 2024−2028 by a decree (in Russian) signed on 6 May.
The document outlines “strategic measures to eliminate negative influence of drugs and psychotropic substances on the health of the people and the nation’s gene pool through prevention of their illegal trafficking”.
The strategy covers a number of areas, including “forming people’s resistance to drug addiction”, as well as identifying and destroying sources of illegal drug trafficking in the country.
Other areas are enhancement of border security, improvement of law-enforcement, expanding the analysis of the drug situation in Uzbekistan, and identification of fields containing drug crops using drones.
The strategy also contains plans to tackle drug distribution online and via media advertising, along with preventing financial operations related to illegal drug trafficking.
The document mentions improvement of early addiction identification, diagnosing hidden addiction, establishment of emergency aid to patients with heavy complications, paid and service drug treatment assistance, as well as improvement of medical and social rehabilitation for drug patients, and prevention of their discrimination during recovery.
The decree establishes the National Center for Drug Control under the President’s Administration. The body will analyze and forecast factors and tendencies related to drug abuse in the country.
