Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi
“My repression is your regress,” – the campaign under this slogan has been underway for six months in Georgia. Georgian Harm Reduction Network, study center Alternative Georgia, World Doctors – France, Open Society Georgia Foundation and Eurasian Drug-Addicts Network fully support the Georgian Network of Drug-Addicts in the aforementioned campaign.
Zaza Karchkhadze, coordinator of the Kutaisi office of the nongovernmental organization New Way - a founder of the community organization Rubicon - argues: “The purpose of the campaign is to provide liberalization of narcotics in order to avoid jail sentence for drug-addicted.. We call on the government to stop repressive narco-policy and start treatment-rehabilitation programs instead of punishment. We suggest them to share the experience of the world leading countries and change the useless repressive narco-policy approach towards people.”
Representatives of the Georgian Network of Drug-Addicts believe that the fight against narcotics in Georgia is a means to fight the people and not the crime itself. It further deteriorates the situation.
Signatures are collected throughout the country with regard to the current nacro-policy in the country. On June 26, at 15:00 pm different nongovernmental organizations will hold demonstrations at the Georgian Parliament and hand in the petition with about 100 000 signatures to the Chairman of the Parliament.