The Health Care and Social Issues Committee deliberated on the legal amendments concerning drug crime for the I reading. The Draft Criminal Code and the deriving Bills were introduced by one of the authors, the Chair of the Legal Issues Committee, Archil Gorduladze.

"Our team has been engaged in extensive discussions regarding the aforementioned problem. We have explored various avenues, including countering drug addiction and addressing the broader issue of drug abuse. Today, we present a portion of the proposed amendments that focus on curbing drug trafficking and addressing the needs of drug users", - he stated.

Per his information, the Draft envisages stricter sanctions against the dealing of the drug substances, new psychoactive, psychotropic and potent substances.

According to him, the Draft dissociates the composition of drug crimes and establishes stricter liabilities for the said offenses, namely, stricter penalties for the illegal preparation, production, transportation, trafficking or dealing of psychotropic agents, their analogs or potent substances, cannabis or marijuana, other narcotic means, their analogs, precursors or new psychoactive substances.

Notably, evading a drug test will also result in a penalty. However, police officers mustn`t be permitted to forcefully transport a citizen for the tests. According to the reporter, the dealers shall be exposed to stringent sanctions, including life imprisonment.

One of the salient provisions of the proposed legal amendments entails the state assuming a responsibility to provide assistance to individuals struggling with drug addiction, even extending to facilitating their participation in mandatory treatment programs.

According to the Chair of the Committee, Zaza Lominadze, the legal initiative raised a high public interest: "I am pleased to announce that our political team has made a timely announcement regarding the implementation of stricter sanctions. The position of the authors of the Draft encompasses all relevant issues pertaining to drugs; we aspire to ensure the engagement of all relevant stakeholders, including experts and society. Ultimately, we hope to adopt a reconciled version of the Law that will facilitate a healthier state of our society".

The legal package is initiated by MPs Archil Gorduladze, Tornike Cheishvili, David Matikashvili, Tengiz Sharmanashvili, Guram Macharashvili, Alexander Tabatadze, Rati Ionatamishvili and Aluda Gudushauri. The Committee endorsed the Draft.