AKEL on World Anti-Drug Day and Illegal Trafficking
The Anastasiades government, for every 1 Euro it allocates to prevent addiction, it allocates 44 Euros for its repression
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 26th June 2020, Nicosia
On the occasion of 26th June, World Anti-Drug and Illegal Trafficking Day, AKEL expresses its appreciation towards all those working to address and combat the phenomenon of drug addiction. Illegal addictive substances are one of the biggest challenges the modern world faces and their trafficking is now an international billion-dollar industry. It is for this reason that to confront dependencies, a broad social front needs to be forged, which should be headed by the organised state.
It is now clear that the causes of addiction are reflected in the indexes on unemployment and underemployment, social insecurity, the commercialization of relations, the alienation and estrangement of people and the growing marginalization and social exclusion of specific groups of the population.
For this reason, the Left views the issue of substance addiction and addiction in general as related to the overall problems that plague working people, the self-employed, unemployed, the young scientist, women, youth, the family, the LGBTI community and immigrants. At the same time, AKEL considers that the problem of the use and exploitation of illegal substances belongs to the sphere of public health. In this sense, AKEL is opposed to approaches that glorify police repression, but also ignore the importance of prevention. AKEL stresses the importance of scientifically substantiated policies on addiction issues.
Our priority must be to provide a network of policies and measures that include prevention, treatment, the reduction of the harm caused, social reintegration and reduction in the supply. According to relevant research, the Anastasiades government, for every 1 Euro it allocates for the prevention of addiction, it allocates 44 Euros for its repression.
The State’s goal must be to prevent the use of drugs, especially among young people, to reduce their use, dependence and the harmful effects of their use, as well as to reduce the illicit drug market. At the same time, the de-stigmatization of people who have a problem with substance abuse is a key precondition that can lead these people to seek therapy, but also the obligation of the state towards our fellow human beings who need support instead of being marginalised.
Finally, Cypriot society needs to address the problem of adolescents’ access to alcohol seriously, but also the dependence on gambling that is considered as a norm in the current socio-economic context.
AKEL, on the occasion of 26th June, which is also a significant date for the completion of the public consultation process carried out by the Cyprus National Addiction Authority (AAEK) for the elaboration of the new National Strategy for Dealing with Dependencies 2021-202, salutes the work AAEK has been doing so far and pledges to continue to support its multifaceted work.
