MASTER PLAN FOR COMBATING DRUGS

ALMATY. At a recent press conference in Astana, dedicated to the
International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, awful figures
were made public: since 1991, the number of people registered on the books
of health authorities as drug addicts under medical observation, multiplied
up by more than five times and reached the number of 38 thousand, while the
drug addiction went up by a factor of nineteen.

The expansion of non-medical drug taking among minors and young people, and
also women, arouses special alarm. Almost two thirds of drug addicts are
people under 30.

Addressing the press conference, a former prominent Kazakh boxer, now a
deputy of Majilis of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Serik Konakbayev pointed
out to the high rate of growth of drug-related criminality. Against a
background of the decrease in crime since 1991, the part of drug-related
crimes has recently increased from 3 percent to 15-16 percent. In certain
regions, about 60 percent of larcenies are committed owing to drug and
psychotropic abuse.

HIV/AIDS epidemic of the latter half of the nineties in separate areas of
the republic, first of all in Karaganda region, is also a consequence of
drug abuse.

Under the Kazakh President's decree 1345 of February 17, 2000, the Agency
for combating drug addiction and drug trade was set up. Later on, it was
transformed into the Committee for combating drug addiction and drug trade
under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Confronted with the real threat, Kazakhstan has actively joint in the
international system of countering illegal drug trafficking. In particular,
the Kazakh parliament has ratified basic UN convention in this line - the
Common Convention on drugs of 1961, the Convention on psychotropics of 1971
, the UN Convention on combating illicit drug and psychotropic trafficking
of 1988. Later on, the republic has established its own legal base for
effective struggle against drug addiction and drug trade, taking account of
the requirement of the UN Conventions and the international experience in
this field.

In particular, in July 1998, the law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On
countering illicit drug, psychotropic and precursor addiction and
trafficking" was adopted. In conclusion, on March 9, 1998, the government
adopted a resolution on a List of narcotics, psychotropic substances and
precursors under control in the republic of Kazakhstan.

The essence of Kazakhstan's drug control policy was reflected in the first
for Central Asia master plan for combating illicit drug trafficking
elaborated with the UN assistance. Now the development of wide
international cooperation in this sphere is realized by means of
establishing bilateral and multilateral contacts both at governmental and
interdepartmental levels. The relative agreements were negotiated with the
Central Asian countries and Russia, and also with Italy, Spain and a number
of other countries. Similar agreements for Baltic countries are being prepared.

A strategy for countering drug addiction and drug trade in the Republic of
Kazakhstan for 2001-2005 grew out of the comprehension of the situation in
the country. The strategy was approved by the decree of the head of the
state of May 16, 2000. As a matter of fact, it records the national policy
in the sphere of mastering illegal drug addiction and drug trafficking. The
alpha and omega of the strategy is striving for boosting efforts in
particular at regional level.

In pursuance of the strategy, regional commissions on drug control have
been set up in all the regions and the two capitals, headed by deputy
akims. Maslikhats started to adopt regional programs on countering drug
addiction and drug trade, while the Committee for combating drug addiction
and drug trade of the Ministry of Justice, which co-ordinates their
activity, seeks financing for their actions from the assets of the local
budgets.

In the near future, basic branches of the projected effective system of
state and public counteraction to the expansion of drug addiction and drug
trade in the republic is expected to be established. Thus, in 2002-2003 it
is proposed to strengthen the sections set up, and by end of 2005 to form
the full-scale system of essential counteraction to the narcotic poison.