How did Georgia conquer drug addiction?An unexpected end of the struggle against “the plague of the nation”Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to Vestnik KavkazaSeveral days ago a demonstration under the slogan “Beka is not criminal” took place in Tbilisi. Popular writers, artists, promising directors, i.e. representatives of the gilded youth, participated in the demonstration near the parliament.Beka is a Georgian name. It is the name of a young man who is facing 7 years of imprisonment for using soft drugs. The police found more than 20 grammes of marijuana. According to the current laws, this is classified as “a large amount”; a user is strictly punished for this, even if he doesn’t sell drugs.Georgian law requires a life sentence for supplying drugs. The punishment for “smoking weed” is strict as well: several years of imprisonment.Social activists who supported the initiative on decriminalization of drug use by “the gilded youth” refer to laws of other countries. In the majority of them, using soft drugs is not punished by imprisonment. There is only a fine or administrative measures: for example, cleaning streets and so on.In the Netherlands marijuana can be bought in cafés, and it doesn’t lead to a disaster in society. But Georgia is not Holland. The culture of social relations is different here. The experience of the difficult Soviet and post-Soviet eras, when drug use was “the nation’s plague”, shows itself.In the 1970s almost all sessions of the Union of Writers of Georgia (the main platform for discussion of all-national problems) touched on the problem of the struggle against drug use. It was true that whole generations became victims of the social disaster: the crime rate soared on the streets, in schools and universities. Young people of Georgia were divided into the majority of those who had smoked weed at least once and a minority of “freaks” who had not.The most dreadful thing was that, unlike in Holland, in Georgia drug use was a prestigious thing! Users were respected, girls paid attention to them. According to sociologists, such behavior in society leads to the legitimacy of any social sins. In other countries drug addicts are thought to be social outcasts. And it is dangerous for your social status to communicate with addicts.The struggle against “the all-national disaster” started in the Communist era, when it was provided within separate companies. The authorities presented drug addiction as a disease, not as a crime. So an addict could be sent to rehab, not prison.After the Rose Revolution, Mikhail Saakashvili and his team promoted a harsh social experiment: at first they increased the punishment for “supplying” to a life sentence. But it didn’t work. Everybody was telling the young reformers that they should fight the demand rather than the providers. The way was criminalization of soft drugs – and a sentence for using drugs.Despite indignation from certain social circles, it appeared that the criminalization of using drugs, including soft drugs, is effective. The number of drug addicts fell, while in 5-6 years drug addiction disappeared in Georgia as a social phenomenon.Along with smoking weed, use of heavy drugs disappeared, even though many skeptics shouted that drug addiction couldn’t be conquered by such strict measures. It appeared that prison treats addiction much better than hospital.The new authorities understand that to decriminalize drug use means returning to the sad past. So they stand against changes in the law, as they don’t want to be responsible for a “revival” of this terrible problem.
Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Several days ago a demonstration under the slogan “Beka is not criminal” took place in Tbilisi. Popular writers, artists, promising directors, i.e. representatives of the gilded youth, participated in the demonstration near the parliament.
Beka is a Georgian name. It is the name of a young man who is facing 7 years of imprisonment for using soft drugs. The police found more than 20 grammes of marijuana. According to the current laws, this is classified as “a large amount”; a user is strictly punished for this, even if he doesn’t sell drugs.
Georgian law requires a life sentence for supplying drugs. The punishment for “smoking weed” is strict as well: several years of imprisonment.
Social activists who supported the initiative on decriminalization of drug use by “the gilded youth” refer to laws of other countries. In the majority of them, using soft drugs is not punished by imprisonment. There is only a fine or administrative measures: for example, cleaning streets and so on.
In the Netherlands marijuana can be bought in cafés, and it doesn’t lead to a disaster in society. But Georgia is not Holland. The culture of social relations is different here. The experience of the difficult Soviet and post-Soviet eras, when drug use was “the nation’s plague”, shows itself.
In the 1970s almost all sessions of the Union of Writers of Georgia (the main platform for discussion of all-national problems) touched on the problem of the struggle against drug use. It was true that whole generations became victims of the social disaster: the crime rate soared on the streets, in schools and universities. Young people of Georgia were divided into the majority of those who had smoked weed at least once and a minority of “freaks” who had not.
The most dreadful thing was that, unlike in Holland, in Georgia drug use was a prestigious thing! Users were respected, girls paid attention to them. According to sociologists, such behavior in society leads to the legitimacy of any social sins. In other countries drug addicts are thought to be social outcasts. And it is dangerous for your social status to communicate with addicts.
The struggle against “the all-national disaster” started in the Communist era, when it was provided within separate companies. The authorities presented drug addiction as a disease, not as a crime. So an addict could be sent to rehab, not prison.
After the Rose Revolution, Mikhail Saakashvili and his team promoted a harsh social experiment: at first they increased the punishment for “supplying” to a life sentence. But it didn’t work. Everybody was telling the young reformers that they should fight the demand rather than the providers. The way was criminalization of soft drugs – and a sentence for using drugs.
Despite indignation from certain social circles, it appeared that the criminalization of using drugs, including soft drugs, is effective. The number of drug addicts fell, while in 5-6 years drug addiction disappeared in Georgia as a social phenomenon.
Along with smoking weed, use of heavy drugs disappeared, even though many skeptics shouted that drug addiction couldn’t be conquered by such strict measures. It appeared that prison treats addiction much better than hospital.
The new authorities understand that to decriminalize drug use means returning to the sad past. So they stand against changes in the law, as they don’t want to be responsible for a “revival” of this terrible problem.
