Interior Minister: Drug policy in Georgia should be balanced

We understand well that drug policy is a complex issue, Georgian Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia said today.

He said the main goal of the ministry is to fight against drug related crimes and prevent new users from drug abuse.

Minister Gakharia believes that prevention and rehabilitation are among the most important steps for improving the drug-related situation in the country.

He said the situation is especially harsh in terms of the possession and and sale of drugs.

We realise that a human, complex drug policy is the only solution. However, our human policy and attitude towards drug abuse should be balanced”, Minister Gakharia said.

Gakharia believes that nevertheless the human state policy should not boost drug abuse, but rather prevent and help rehabilitate.

To improve the drug policy in Georgia, the following steps have been made in previous years:

• In 2014 a special amendment was made to an order dated from December 2000 by the Minister of Health, whereby ambulance staff and medical experts were no longer obliged to inform law enforcement agencies when a person experienced a drug overdose.
• In 2015 a rule allowing police officers to conduct on the spot drug tests on individuals believed to be under the influence of drugs has been changed so that police can no longer test an individual for drugs unless the individual shows suspicious signs of drug intoxication or was caught breaking the law.
• In 2017 Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili addressed the parliament of Georgia to make legislative changes to the current drug policy and make it more human and European.