The state needs to create a clear vision for the provision of rehabilitation services for drug addicts, but the decriminalization of drug use by young people is only one of the tools to tackle the problem, Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) told TV3 this morning.
According to her, the harsh truth is that there are no real services in Latvia for people who are addicted to drugs. “In fact, there is punishment because we don’t have these real services that are needed – hotlines, rehabilitation, group therapy, and an anonymous way for young people to report this,” the prime minister said.
She believes that decriminalization of drug use has been the most discussed issue recently because it is the “tastiest topic” to discuss, but the main problem, which we should admit to ourselves, is the lack of services.
The prime minister is convinced that “we need to put together a clear picture of how we create these services”. Until recently, the situation was similar for victims of violence, and huge progress has been made in this area, the prime minister stressed.
As reported, Silina supports the idea of decriminalizing drug use by young people. Following a meeting with President Edgars Rinkevics last week, Silina told reporters that she had previously proposed this when she was the minister of welfare. The Health Ministry has already approved a proposal by the Justice Ministry that young people should no longer be criminally liable for using drugs.
The Latvian Medical Association and Creative Center Open earlier this month said that they had turned to President Edgars Rinkevics, Saeima Speaker Daiga Mierina (Greens/Farmers) and a number of ministers, calling for decriminalization of personal drug use as this would help make preventive measures more effective.
The Medical Association’s President Ilze Aizsilniece believes that this is necessary so that young people be not afraid of talking about the problems of drug abuse and seeking help.
Source: BNS
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