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Faced with the resurgence of the phenomenon of drugs and drug addiction, a scourge with many faces that threatens public health, social cohesion and the economic development of the country, the Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals, Abderrachid Tabi, insisted, last Thursday, on the need to strengthen national and international mobilization.
Presiding over the opening of a study day on “The main amendments contained in Law 23-05 relating to the prevention and repression of the illicit use and trafficking of narcotics and psychotropic substances: between theory and practical”, Mr. Tabi affirmed that “the fight against the scourge of drugs requires combined efforts on an international scale”.
He reinforced his remarks by noting the correlation between drug trafficking and other forms of cross-border organized crime, notably terrorism.
During his speech, the minister paid tribute to “the important role of the People’s National Army (ANP), the security forces, the Customs services and the competent bodies, which carry out qualitative and professional operations in the fight against drug lords and drug traffickers.” He added that “the attempts to flood our country with psychotropic drugs and cannabis, particularly via the Western border, reveal an orchestrated operation aimed at harming the physical and psychological health of the nation’s vital forces, namely young people.”
Faced with this observation, Mr. Tabi considered it imperative to “use the UN bodies and international organizations to alert them to the passivity of certain parties in the face of these drug traffickers.” He also noted that drugs now constitute “one of the most complex problems” encountered by the international community, especially since the resurgence of this phenomenon is exhausting countries’ resources.
He also highlighted the fact that Algeria has joined “all the efforts of the international community in the fight against drugs and has been committed, for decades, to confronting this scourge, through interdisciplinary and multifaceted operations”, maintaining that Algeria is “fully aware that the fight against a transnational scourge of this magnitude requires the combination of efforts on an international scale, in particular with the development of modern means of communication which have increased the nuisance capacities of drug trafficking networks.”
The minister stressed that the amendments contained in this law have the particularity of associating all sectors concerned with the fight against drugs and drug addiction. He explained that Law 23-05 had been amended to “strengthen prevention measures against drugs and psychotropic substances”, recalling that a national drug prevention strategy had been put in place and that the problem linked to the classification of certain psychotropic substances had been regulated. “The proliferation of this phenomenon within society, particularly among young people, consumes the resources of States and threatens their security, their stability and the structure of their social fabric, hence the need to eradicate it through prevention, repression and elimination of its causes. He wanted to reveal that the national legal and judicial systems had been strengthened to make the fight against the scourge of drugs more effective.
For his part, the Minister of Health, Abdelhak Saïhi, insisted on the importance of supporting and caring for drug addicts, by mobilizing all the necessary means and resources, stressing that the scourge of drugs was “a global phenomenon which has led to the collapse of the economies of several countries”. He mentioned an agreement with the Ministry of Justice for “the opening of reference centers for the treatment of drug addicts in several wilayas”, calling for “strengthening common action between all stakeholders in order to save young people from these poisons “.
For his part, the director general of the National Office for the Fight against Drugs and Drug Addiction (ONLCDT), Farid Mazouni, affirmed that Algeria “spares no effort in the fight against all social scourges, their heads with narcotics, and this is based on its attachment to protecting society and preserving its security and stability.” He recalled that narcotics “are a source of concern for all societies due to the increase in their consumption, particularly among young people and adolescents”.
It should be noted that aware of the seriousness of the situation, the government has placed the fight against drugs and drug addiction among its priorities. To do this, the public authorities have put in place a national strategy which is based on three main pillars: prevention, treatment of drug addicts and repression of drug trafficking.
As part of this strategy, Law 23-05 relating to the prevention and repression of the illicit use and trafficking of narcotics and psychotropic substances was amended in 2023. These amendments aim to strengthen measures to combat this scourge, in particular by strengthening prevention, with the creation of a national observatory for drugs and drug addiction.
On the legal side, these amendments have contributed to a toughening of sanctions against drug traffickers, with an extension of prison sentences, the confiscation of the property of convicted persons and the strengthening of the means of investigation and prosecution of traffickers.