DUSHANBE, June 26, Asia-Plus — Like other countries throughout the world, Tajikistan today celebrates an International Day against Drug Abuse and illicit Trafficking.
According to the Drug Control Agency (DCA), they organize various actions with active participation of youth on this day. The main objective of these activities is raise the problem awareness among the local population, especially youth who constitute the major part of drug users in the country.
“This year, to celebrate the International Anti-Drug Day, the counternarcotics agency, ministry of education (MoE), the youth committee and the Dushanbe mayor’s office organized a futsal tournament among the law enforcement agencies,” said Avaz Yuldoshev, a spokesman for the Tajik counter narcotics agency, “The tournament was held on June 20-25. Besides, other sports activities were organized in the Ayni Park in Dushanbe on June 25.”
Today, events dedicated to the International Anti-Drug Day are being held at the Center for Children and Youth Creative Work.
The similar events dedicated to the International Anti-Drug Day are being held in the provinces as well.
Thus, Sughd local authorities organized various activities on this occasion today. Faridoun Hodiboyev, a specialist with the Sughd regional directorate for youth affairs, sports and tourism, told Asia-Plus that a concert with participation of local singers and performance staged by the Khujand theatre studio Khadinkamon will be held on the central square of Khujand today evening.
The theme for this year’s anti-drug activities organized in northern Tajikistan is “We Are Supporters of the Planet without Drugs.”
According to figures provided by the Sughd regional directorate of the Drug Control Agency (DCA), 1,299 drug-dependent persons have to date been registered in northern Tajikistan. Youth constitute 37 percent of the drug-dependent persons in the Sughd province.
In the meantime, the official data shows that a total number of drug-users in Tajikistan exceeds 8,000 people
Every year the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) celebrates June 26 as “International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking”.
The slogan of the UNODC for its 2007 international campaign is “Do Drugs Control Your Life? Your Life. Your Community. No Place for Drugs.” The slogan will be used for three years and focus on different aspects of drug control: drug abuse in 2007, drug cultivation and production in 2008, and illicit drug trafficking in 2009. With this campaign, UNODC aims to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society. No individual, family or community is safe where illicit drugs take control. Drugs may control the body and mind of individual consumers, the drug crop and drug cartels may control farmers, illicit trafficking and crime may control communities. The campaign”s goal is to inspire people and mobilize support for drug control. The proposed overarching campaign and the generic slogan are flexible. For example, variations on the slogan could be used to suit different contexts.
