Threat to South Ossetian national security

Republic imposes legal punishments for drug-taking

The current situation with drug trafficking and the amount of drug addicts in South Ossetia has, according to experts, proven to be almost catastrophic, so the government has introduced amendments to the country’s laws concerning drug use: from now on, not only drug dealers, but also drug addicts will be pursued by police authorities.

Those arrested for drug use for the first time will be put under administrative arrest for one to three months, and a second offence will see them facing a criminal court for more prolonged punishment. At least, this is in the bill that is now awaiting the South Ossetian parliament's approval. According to the head of parliamentary Legislation Committee, Amiran Diakonov, drug addiction and trafficking can only be stopped by a set of preventative and administrative measures. However, the Committee rejected several amendments proposed by the government: for example, according to the original draft of thebill, those who addressed legal or medical facilities voluntarily were free from criminal liability for drug use. However, according to the head of the Committee, this paragraph makes the whole bill ineffective.

Mr Diakonov also stated that the government failed to carry out parliament’s resolution about construction of special sanatoria to treat drug addicts, despite the fact that budgetary funds were allocated to the project. The Health Ministry confirms that for now South Ossetia does not possess any medical facilities for treatingdrug-addicted people.  Special equipment for drug testing will be
shipped to the country in February. The Secretary of the National Security Council, Eduard Kotaev, stated that the drug problem endangers the survival of the whole nation, as drugs incapacitate the youngest part of society. He also criticized proposals by some Western public organizations to legalize medical usage of opium, calling this project destructive and favorable to the further spread of drug addiction.

The South Ossetian public have accepted the bill with understanding, as it is concerned with current situation as much as the government is.

Tengiz Doguzov, Tskhinvali, exclusively to VK.