20/12/2024
Within the framework of the European CADAP project, regional delegations and international experts met to develop joint strategies in the region
The international conference ‘Enhancing Substance Use Prevention, Supply Reduction, and Developing National Expertise in Addictology and Treatment in Central Asia’ was held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The event, supported by the EU-funded Central Asia Drug Action Programme (CADAP), brought together delegations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of NGOs, European expert organizations and state institutions. The aim of the conference was to share practices for the prevention of substance use and the reduction of its supply. Joint strategies for the future of the region were also discussed.
The Ministry of the Interior of Turkmenistan has announced a decrease in the flow of drug trafficking thanks to cooperation between institutions and border control with neighboring countries. In this country, importance has been given as a deterrent measure to the action of the health field, education and the media.
For their part, Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Kazakhstan have highlighted the problem of control over precursors, given the need for high quality reagents for their identification.
Ministry of Interior of the Kyrgyz Republic has expressed concern about the increase in various smoking mixtures associated with the presence of synthetic drugs such as cannabinoids.
Criminal groups are becoming increasingly creative, Tajikistan’s Drug Control Agency has reported. This has influenced the controls they carry out. In 2024, they confiscated 1300 kg of narcotics, in addition to liquidating 16 criminal groups.
The conference was attended by European experts such as the National Center for Addiction Prevention (Poland), Akzept (Germany), the Republican Center for Addiction Treatment (Lithuania) and technical specialists from Spanish penitentiary institutions.
As a result, draft recommendations will be developed to strengthen national drug policies that are evidence-based, gender-sensitive, coherent and balanced.