The main discussion topic was the Development of the national drug control policy.
State committee on drugs and crime in Ukraine and Pompidou Groupof the Council of Europeunder the auspices of regional United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) were initiators and organizers of the aforementioned meeting.
The meeting was attended by representatives of core ministries, government institutions, non-government organizations, leading scientists, practitioners on the projects against drug addiction and drug corruption, representatives of UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), UNAIDS(the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS), WHO (World Health Organization) and other world organizations.
Among the issues that were discussed in the meeting, include:
- strengthening of control over legal drug circulation,psychotropic substances, precursors
- early diagnosis of drug addiction and increasing of preventive measures’ effectiveness, medical treatment of drug addicts
- how to substantially reduce the illegal use of drug, especially among young people;
- strategy to decrease deaths connected with drug overdose.
Opinions from experts suggests that the acceptance of basic document will lay a solid foundation and positively contribute towards the efforts of combating drug addiction carried by the government, civil society groups and different institutions
Below is the interview with one of the participants of the Round table, Roman Trokhin, the President of a Non-profit organization “Movement against drug addiction and drug corruption”.
Interviewer: Please tell us the main goal of the round- table meeting
Roman Trokhin: The goal is to develop a joint strategic effort to respond to the problem of drug addiction in our country.
Interviewer: Who took part in the aforementioned meeting?
Roman Trokhin: . Patrick Pennings – a representative of Pompidou Groupof the Council of Europe;
Thomas Kattau – the Deputy of Executive Secretary;
Cosel Thomas – the Coordinator of drug issues in Frankfort, Germany;
Petr Yablonskiy – the Head of Polish Bureau of drug prevention;
Pustoslemschek Miran – a Psychiatrist from Slovenia;
Adam Olivier – a representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine coordinator of UN system;
Mirzakhid Sultanov – a representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC);
Mokuo Yuk – a representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF);
Vladimir Timoshenko - Head of Drug circulation state committee in Ukraine;
Ponakevich Igor - representative ofthe WHO (World Health Organization);
Bogdan Sokrut - Headquater on drug and crime
Vladimir Tihiy – the Vice-president of the National Academy of legal sciences.
We also had representatives from the Department against illegal drug circulation, Department of Justice, Doctors of science and Professors of pharmacology.
Interviewer: What issues have you raised on these meetings?
Roman: I have raised my concerns on the effects of drug dealings in Ukraine and the threat of the effect it is having on our young people who are the growing generation
As I mentioned earlier that our primary goal is preventing those who have not fallen into drug addiction, from falling into it and that there is a need of non-governmental organizations to take an active role, if we are to succeed in this ‘battle’; their efforts of course are complementing those of the already laid state structures.
I also appealed to the State representatives on the need to intensify the use of laws against drug misuse and I gave an example of closing down of the so called “narco-pharmacies” and narco-dens that have been operating freely for years.
Also I shared my experience on rehabilitation insisting on the necessity of using measures that have proven to work well rather than sticking to ineffective traditional measures that have not yielded the desired results; this point was positively welcomed.
I believe that the issue of drugs is only supported by those who benefit from it financially, but for those who are upright have no desire in it because they know that in as much as it is a crime, it also results to death.
For two days we have discussing on different strategies to combat this issue and I am very pleased that the strategies discussed are more of prevention even though we also discussed on the use of effective rehabilitation methods as treatment to those who are affected.
The atmosphere at the round-table was embedded on providing hope for people’s lives. It was pleasing because those who were showed no stigma towards those affected with drugs…all they saw was a people worthy of a better life
.
I considered it a privilege and honor to be part of this International round-table meeting to share my experience and be part of a process of devising effective strategies to combat drug addiction.
It is my hope that with the signing of the resolutions agreed, and with the help of anti-drug politicyand strategies, the problem of drug and substance abuse in Ukraine will change for the better
Natalia Deyneko
The press- center
Association of a non-profit organizations “Movement against drug addiction and drug corruption”
Translated by Valeria Granova
Edited by June Bugenyi
