Warming up.

Is there a drug problem in your town/ country?

What is your opinion about employers carrying out drug tests on their employees?

What is your opinion about employers carrying out tests for hangovers?

Should employers have the right to refuse to employ smokers?

What measures can be taken to make drugs less attractive for teenagers?

Do we use too many prescription drugs?

What are natural remedies?

Are natural remedies like homeopathy and herbal medicine drugs too?

Do we give too many prescribed drugs to children?

Are alcohol and nicotine drugs?

Are coffee and chocolate drugs?

     Read the following text. What steps are taken by Belarus to prevent, stop and fight drug trafficking?

Make sure you understand the meaning of the following words and word-combinations:

an anonymous survey

drug dependent persons

extremely severe punishment

to steal pharmaceutical drugs

school-based prevention activities

materials with relevant content

regular examination for drug addiction

a significant transit country

 Drugs trafficking in Belarus: current situation, ways of preventing and combating

An anonymous survey held in high schools in the Minsk region said that 30% of teens have tried various drugs. Meanwhile, Belarus has the lowest drug use and smallest number of drug dependent persons in the region.

Drug trafficking in Belarus is classified as a serious crime. Selling and possessing illegal drugs in Belarus envisages extremely severe punishment, regardless of the drug type. For example, possession of illegal drugs (Article 328 Part 1 of Belarus’ Criminal Code) envisages up to 5 years in prison and sales and distribution (Article 328 Parts 2 and 3) - up to 13. If committed by an organized criminal group (Article 328 Part 4), the punishment might be up to 15 years of imprisonment with or without property confiscation.

It is against the law in Belarus to steal pharmaceutical drugs; produce and process illegal drugs; purchase and possess illegal drugs (irrespective of the purpose of possession); traffic drugs for sale or for other purposes; plant or cultivate illicit drug-containing plants to sell or to produce a drug; violate the rules of working with state-controlled drugs that lead to their loss or misappropriation; promote the use of illegal drugs and provide a location for their use.

Drug use has been registered throughout the country. However drug use is greater in the regions with major industrial enterprises.

The share of regular drug users is relatively small. Even if official figures on drug addicts are multiplied by 10, it will be less than 2% of the population in the regions. The vast majority of these 2% are pupils and students, i.e. under 25 years old.

School-based prevention activities in Belarus are coordinated by the Ministry of Education. According to a decision by the Minister, primary prevention activities shall be conducted in educational establishments by distributing information on the negative consequences of drug use and publishing brochures and other informational materials with relevant content, including posters, booklets, etc. As part of this programme, lectures, workshops and seminars as well as other educational events are held for schoolchildren, university students and staff, along with newspaper and radio coverage of the topic.

In addition to the Ministry of Education, officers of the inspections for juvenile affairs within the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs deal with primary drug prevention among children and teenagers.

In Belarus, problem drug use most commonly involves the injection of opiates or, to a lesser extent, of amphetamines and other psychoactive substances. Cocaine use is negligible so far and does not affect the overall picture of problem drug use in Belarus.

The Narcological Service of the Ministry of Health routinely registers known drug users and addicts. The Department for HIV/AIDS Prevention of the National Centre for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Public Health indirectly contributes to the register by reporting HIV-positive persons infected through intravenous drug use.

The Narcological Register (NR) consists of a Dispensary Narcological Register and a Prevention Narcological Register. The Dispensary Narcological Register includes persons diagnosed with an addiction according to ICD-10 criteria. The Prevention Narcological Register includes non-addicted patients who are suspected of using drugs (i.e., urine tested positive in strip tests). Reasons for including a person on the NR may be the result of an individual’s visit to a doctor; by a request from relatives, police, medical institutions, employers, educational institutions or military service commissions; or the result of inspections for juvenile offenders. All persons who test positive for drug use through a urinalysis, including those conducted at police stations, are then subject by law to observation and regular examination for drug addiction.

The day-to-day responsibility for preventing and disrupting illegal drug trafficking is borne by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Security Committee (KGB), the State Border Committee and the Prosecutor’s Office.

Additionally, the following agencies take part in concerted efforts to stem the market for illegal drugs: Drug Control and Human Trafficking Department; Cross-border Organized Crime Unit; Customs Office.

Poppy plants and marijuana are grown in Belarus and some synthetic drugs are produced in the country, however their volumes are insignificant for export and are mostly used for local consumption. At the same time, Belarus is a significant transit country and a part of the Old and New Silk Route for trafficking heroin from the Middle East to Europe. A fairly large number of other drug trafficking routes pass through the territory of Belarus due to the country’s geographic location. Belarus is gradually turning though from a transit country to a demand country.

Questions to discuss.

1. Do you think it is easy to buy illegal drugs where you live?
2. Which is worse, a peaceful drug addict or a violent non-addict?
3. Should pregnant women be arrested for child abuse if they use drugs when they are pregnant which may affect the baby?
4. Should women be prevented legally from drinking any alcohol or smoking when pregnant?
5. Cancer patients find that marijuana stops their pain. Should it be legal for them?
6. Do you think experimenting with alcohol and cigarettes leads to experimenting with harder drugs?
7. Why are some drugs legal and some illegal?
8. Are some legal recreational drugs more dangerous than illegal drugs?