A number of minor opposition parties and drug reform advocacy groups have directly accused Georgia’s authorities of blame for the reported poisoning of at least 10 people, with one dead at the GemFest music festival. They argue that the government’s strict drug laws meant that drug users do not know what substances they are taking, and are unable to verify them.
Twenty-two-year-old Natia Tavartkiladze died in hospital on 3 August, after falling ill at the GemFest music festival in the Black Sea resort town of Anaklia.
The non-parliamentary Republican Party accused the government of using drug policy for their own interests, without seriously considering liberalising it, claiming they are misleading the public. They believe that the government will never give up the current drug policy, as they use it for ‘blackmail and manipulation’.
The Republicans say that the poisonings were ‘deliberately provoked’ by law enforcement agencies to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of discussions in parliament on drug law reforms, which are due to start in Autumn.
They accuse the authorities of conducting a campaign in social networks and the media to paint drug users as ‘particularly dangerous criminals, who deserves everything they get’.
The White Noise Movement, a drug reform advocacy group, also blamed the government, claiming that they were preventing people from checking the substances they were using.
‘We directly accuse the police and security services, clans, who conduct repressive policy and control all aspects of drug policy in the country — including supplying and dealing of drugs’, their statement reads.
Zurab Japaridze, head of Girchi, another non-parliamentary opposition party, believes that liberalisation of drug policy will make people safer, because it would allow people to know what they are consuming.
‘The experiences of other countries show that after liberalisation there is better control. People have more information on what they are using and how each drug works’, he says.
Police arrested an Iranian citizen at GemFest on 7 August for selling drugs; he may face 8–20 years in jail if convicted. A Georgian was also arrested for buying and storing drugs on 3 August at the festival, and may face 11 years in jail.
Tbilisi saw large demonstrations calling for drug liberalisations in June after rap duo the Birja Mafia were arrested for alleged possession of large amounts of illegal drugs. The pair claim that they were framed by police because of a music video they produced depicting a police officer as a dog.
The two were released on bail following the demonstrations, and the trial is yet to get underway.
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 minor opposition parties and drug reform advocacy groups have directly accused Georgia’s authorities of blame for the reported poisoning of at least 10 people, with one dead at the GemFest music festival. They argue that the government’s strict drug laws meant that drug users do not know what substances they are taking, and are unable to verify them. 
