ASTANA ( WNAM MONITORING ): President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev chaired an Aug. 13 meeting of the Security Council, focusing on combating drug addiction. He called for stricter measures against the drug trade, while ensuring broader medical and rehabilitation support for addicts.
Tokayev described the spread of drug addiction as an alarming trend in Kazakhstan and globally, destroying lives, threatening national health, and undermining society.
President Tokayev highlighted the problem of insufficient medical and rehabilitation coverage, noting that many addicts and their families hide the problem out of fear of condemnation. State policy, he said, should remain flexible toward addicts but uncompromising toward the drug business, reported Akorda.
Tokayev urged improved statistical data collection, tracking of chemical flows, and prevention efforts, notably through education and information campaigns. He condemned the romanticization of illegal substances and alcohol online and in the media, and called for stronger identification, suppression, and punishment of drug offenses.
“The production and sale of any type of drugs should be strictly prohibited and strictly controlled by the state,” Tokayev said, stressing the need to combat transnational organized crime, dismantle drug stores and laboratories, and monitor suspicious financial flows.
