KAZAKHSTAN MARKS INTERNATIONAL ANTI-DRUGS DAY TODAY

ASTANA. Kazakhstan officially marks International Anti-Drugs Day today.
Special anti-drugs actions and demonstrations are being held in Qaraghandy
and Temirtau cities of Central Kazakhstan. Chief of Anti-Drugs Committee at
Kazakhstan's Justice Ministry - Serikqali Muqanov held special press
conference at National Press Club in Astana today, where he said that the
Kazakh laws should be more restrictive and severe towards drug-dealers.
According to Mr. Muqanov, death penalty should be introduced as the capital
punishment for those who sell drugs. He added that the minimal punishment
for the drug-dealers should be seven years of jail. Number of drug users in
Kazakhstan has increased drastically in Kazakhstan in recent several years.
There are no exact number of drug users in Kazakhstani so far.
Correspondents of RFE/RL report that such types of drugs as heroin and
extasy are easily available and cheap in any night-club or discotheque spot
of Almaty or Astana.