ZAGREB, Nov 7 (Hina) - Croatia is still low on the ladder of countries in the world according to the number of drug addicts and is amongst those with the lowest number of addicts infected with HIV, the head of the Office for the
Prevention of Drugs, Ante Barbir, said on Thursday at the end of a parliamentary debate on a report on the implementation of the National Drug Prevention Strategy.
ZAGREB, Nov 7 (Hina) - Croatia is still low on the ladder of
countries in the world according to the number of drug addicts and
is amongst those with the lowest number of addicts infected with
HIV, the head of the Office for the Prevention of Drugs, Ante
Barbir, said on Thursday at the end of a parliamentary debate on a
report on the implementation of the National Drug Prevention
Strategy. #L#
He called on all state institutions, particularly the government,
parliament, the State Prosecutor's Office, and the State Institute
for Motherhood and Youth to systematically fight drugs, primarily
through preventive action amongst the young.
He said it was imperative to increase budget funding for drug
prevention, amend the Law on Drug Abuse, and for the founding of
centres for the treatment of addicts.
He announced a draft national drug prevention strategy for 2003
would be released before the end of this year.
All parliamentary benches, with the exception of the Croatian Bloc
(HB), supported the report for this and last year, and requested
higher budget funding for the fight against addiction and increased
involvement by the police and judiciary in processing "narco-
bosses" and big dealers who should be punished with maximum
sentences.
Opposition benches criticised the government's intention to
decriminalise light drugs, stating that such an idea would only
encourage dealers and send a completely wrong message to young
people about drugs.
On the other hand, benches of the ruling coalition supported the
proposal because they claimed this would finally allow prosecuting
those responsible in organising the drug trade.
(hina) sp/ha sb