UN secretary general’s special envoy says Ukraine should change paradigm of drug policy

The Global Commission on Drug Policy insists on changing the paradigm: from the repressive paradigm to the priority of healthcare, he said at the Drugpolicy Talk held in Kyiv on March 3.

This could be a good signal to international society that the Health Ministry controls drugs turnover in Ukraine and the change of the paradigm should not be only on paper, this should mean redirecting of a large sum of funds spent on the ineffective repressive machine to the creation of the treatment and care system, he said.

Kazatchkine pointed at the inefficiency of fighting drug traffic, as well as transmission of HIV/AIDS based on repressions and restricting access to drug containing products. Most of the countries recognize this. He said that at the special session of the United Nations General Assembly on the World Drug Problem in April the matters of easing access to painkillers, mitigating the prosecution of people who use drugs and minor offenders who sold drugs and toughening the prosecution of 'big fishes' in drug trafficking, as well as the matters of the transfer of the drug market to the control of the state.

Acting Chair of the State Service of Ukraine for Drug Control Oleh Dzysiak said that supervision over illegal and legal drug turnover should be divided in the country.

He also said that the state should conduct the balanced policy towards stimulation of the recovery of the cannabis and poppy planting sector. "Our farmers cannot use the potential and opportunities of the ratified international conventions that allow growing these plants for the scientific and medical purposes. I hear the problems with law enforcement agencies from Ukrainian scientists," he said.

He said that it is impossible to transfer issues linked to narcotic drug turnover to the field of Health Ministry's responsibility.

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