Ilia II, the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church (Ambioni.ge)
A number of leading figures in the government have echoed anti-drug messages from the Patriarch’s annual Christmas epistle. Ilia II, the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, stressed the ‘importance of elaborating an anti-drug policy’.
‘As the country faces a demographic catastrophe, each of us has to be especially cautious and prudent in approaching this problem [drug use] in a complex way so that consequential steps are taken’, Patriarch Ilia II said in his epistle at midnight on 6 January, before Orthodox Christmas Mass.
According to him, it’s necessary to come up with a drug policy which would ‘defend young people and create negative attitudes towards’ drug consumption, which the Patriarch called a ‘severe disease’. He added that rehabilitation centres should be built and educating schoolchildren prioritised.
The epistle comes in the wake of an active campaign from drug policy activists to soften laws they say describe as draconian. Drug policy activists have been urging parliament to pass a draft law that would decriminalise drug use in the country.
Despite the epistle covering a number of topics, the section on drug policy has been most actively discussed.
Political reaction
The following day, statements from leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party echoed the 84-year-old Patriarch, who is widely considered to be one of the most influential figures in the country.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, one of the leaders of Georgian Dream and a senior MP, said the Patriarch’s sermon would enhance their ability to ‘balance human rights’ and fighting crime.
Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani said on 8 January that ‘hints and unequivocal statements from the epistle directly coincide with the plans of our government and the Ministry of Justice’.
At an 8 January press-conference, Deputy Interior Minister Nino Javakhadze said current statistics show ‘there is a difficult situation in [the] country in this regard and prolonging the decision making process further aggravates the problem’. According to her, ‘the situation is especially difficult when it comes to chemical drugs and the harm caused by the consumption of so-called “bio” ’.
Javakhadze said a ‘balance between humanity and prevention of consumption’, should the basis of drug policy.
Georgia, where every third prisoner is serving time on drug-related charges, may be about to transform its strict drug policy into a more liberal system. Activists and reformers are hoping that new legislation could change Georgia’s system away from what they call ‘the war against the people’.
Georgia’s Constitutional Court recently ruled it unconstitutional to criminally prosecute people for consuming cannabis, effectively decriminalising its use. This is short of decriminalising the purchase, storage, or sale of cannabis, and is not legalisation.
The new bill going before parliament, however, would move drug policy away from a criminal justice approach, treating drug use instead as a public health issue.
Javakhadze said a number of legislative amendments need to be passed in order to uphold the Constitutional Court’s decision.
Parliamentary Chair Irakli Kobakhidze said ‘the messages from the epistle will be taken into account’ in discussions in parliament.
Georgian opposition party Lelo has proposed decriminalising drug use, as part of a proposal to reorient the country’s drug policy from a criminal justice approach to a healthcare one.
The proposal was announced at a press briefing by Saba Buadze, the chair of Lelo’s Tbilisi bureau, on Wednesday. He suggested that the ‘drug epidemic’ in the country was caused by the ‘criminal indifference and complicity’ of the Georgian Dream government.
In their nine-step policy, Lelo proposed:
* Decri
Historically, international reports have referred to Georgia as one of the corridors for the transit of Afghan heroin towards Europe. Liberali tried to find out how Georgia is tackling drug trafficking and what has changed since 2012 under the Georgian dream government.
In September 2009, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime published a report on the spread of Afghan heroin around the world.
The report noted that seven tons of heroin reached Europe through Georgia each year. Hero
Georgian drug policy reform advocates have marked the anniversary of police raids on night clubs Bassiani and Café Gallery in the capital Tbilisi.
Recently formed advocacy group 12 May, named after the night of the raids, draped banners over bridges and on public spots in Tbilisi bearing anti-government messages. These included references to the raids, the country’s harsh drug policies, as well as ironic references to their environmental policy, alleged control over the media, and scandals
Georgia’s parliament has adopted a new law restricting cannabis use, five months after the Constitutional Court made consumption of the drug legal. Restrictions allow only those 21 or above to consume the drug and only at home.
The court ruled on 30 July that any punishment for consuming cannabis was unconstitutional.
Under the new law, people will not face even administrative punishments, such as fines, if police discover they have taken cannabis. However, the new regulations adopted by
A number of leading figures in the government have echoed anti-drug messages from the Patriarch’s annual Christmas epistle. Ilia II, the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, stressed the ‘importance of elaborating an anti-drug policy’.
