Presidential meeting addresses countering spread of drugs

The inevitability of punishment and the fairness of court decisions was discussed at the Presidential meeting on issues of countering the spread of drugs.

Systematic work allowed us to change the difficult situation that has developed in our country in recent decades. The key decision was the decree adopted at the end of 2014. The document helped to stop the spread of spice and smoking mixtures, and criminal liability for drug offenses was tightened. At the same time, in the summer of this year, amendments to the criminal code made it possible for the courts to assign punishments more flexibly. Thus, in just 5 years of number of crime in this area has decreased  by 1.5 times. And the mortality rate from overdoses in Belarus is 14 times lower than in Lithuania, and 72 times lower than in the United States.

The main barrier to the spread of the drug problem should be society itself.

The formula is simple: no demand - no supply. And here the institution of the family should play a crucial role. In general, the prevention work is still lame. It is necessary to fight not with consequences, but with reasons,  the President emphasized.