LITHUANIA New Development, Trends and In-depth Information on Selected Issues

Transcription

1 2004 NATIONAL REPORT TO THE EMCDDA by the Reitox National Focal Point LITHUANIA New Development, Trends and In-depth Information on Selected Issues REITOX

2 Table of Contents SUMMARY...3 PART A: NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND TRENDS NATIONAL POLICIES AND CONTEXT DRUG USE IN THE POPULATION PREVENTION PROBLEM DRUG USE DRUG RELATED TREATMENT HEALTH CORRELATES AND CONSEQUENCES RESPONSES TO HEALTH CORRELATES AND CONSEQUENCES SOCIAL CORRELATES AND CONSEQUESNCES RESPONSES TO SOCIAL CORRELATES AND CONSEQUENCES DRUG MARKETS...58 PART B SELECTED ISSUES BUPRENORPHINE, TREATMENT, MISUSE, AND PRESCRIPTION PRACTICES ALTERNATIVES TO PRISON TARGETING TO DRUG USING OFFENDERS PUBLIC NUISANCE: DEFINITIONS, TRENDS IN POLICIES, LEGAL ISSUES AND INTERVENTION STRATEGIES...66 PART C BIBLIOGRAPHY, ANNEXES BIBLIOGRAPHY...67 PART D - STANDARD TABLES AND STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRES

3 Summary The most significant changes in Lithuanian national situation on drug field in 2003 applied in legal framework changes. On 2 October, 2003 Resolution No 1216 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania approved the Strategy on National Programme on Prevention of Drug Addiction and Drug Control for , and Resolution No 1059, as of 21 August 2003, initiated the establishment of the Drug Control Department under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, and entrusted the Department to coordinate the activities of National authorities and Municipalities in the prevention of drug addiction and drug control, and devolved the functions of the REITOX National Focal Point. Part A: New Developments and Trends 1. National Policies and Context 1.1. Implementation of National Policy on Drug Control National Policy on Drug Control includes prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, control, monitoring of illegal drug traffic, and coordination of the process. Strategic goal of the National Policy on Drug Control pertains to suspension and reduction of the prevalence of drug addiction, determination and implementation of major guidelines and process trends of national policy on prevention of drug addiction and drug control, as well as to maximization of the efficiency of prevention of drug addiction in Lithuania. Since 1998 the implementation of the National Policy on Drug Control has been based on the National Programme on Drug Control and Prevention of Drug Addiction, followed by annual schedules of means contributing to the implementation of the programme Legal Framework International Convention on Fighting Against Terrorism Financing (Žin., 2003, No 8-268), ratified by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania on 11 December, 2000 and made effective on 30 April 2003, the preamble of which evokes the regulations set forth in sub-item f of the Resolution No 51/210 3 adopted by the General Assembly on 17 December 1996, i.e. the Assembly shall appeal to all states prompting them to undertake any preventive operations by proper internal means and to fight the financing of terrorists and terrorist organizations notwithstanding whether such funding is direct or through organizations alleging that their focuses are charitable, social or cultural, or through organizations engaged into illegal business, e.g. into armament and drug traffic, protection racket, including exploitation of a human-being in funding of terrorism, and if applicable, to consider the possibility for undertaking of supervisory actions, aiming at impeding the traffic of funds, which implicitly are allotted for terrorist goals, and to fight such traffic in the manner it would not interfere with the circulation of legal capital, as well as to launch an active exchange of information about international traffic of the funds. On 25 March, 2003 the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania ratified the Convention on Prohibition of Malodorous Employment of a Child and Urgent Actions Abrogating the Employment. The aim of the Convention is to abrogate a malodorous employment of a child, and to take on urgent and thorough actions, considering the importance of free secondary education and necessity to withdraw a child from such employment, and to make arrangements for the child s rehabilitation and social integration, and family needs. Article 3 of the Convention strictly defines a malodorous employment of a child, listing all forms of slavery, or similar to the slavery, including sales of and trade in children, employment for debts and serfdom, as well as forced labour or obligatory labour, including forced or obligatory recruitment of children into armed conflicts; exploitation, acquisition or offering for acquisition of a child for prostitution, pornography industry or pornography shows; exploitation, acquisition or offering for acquisition of a child for illegal business, in particular, for drug production and distribution, as defined in respective international treaties; work of any type or work conditions possibly resulting in harm for a child s health, safety or morality. 3

4 On 18 March, 2003 the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania ratified Treaty between the Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Uzbekistan on Foundation of Intergovernmental Relationships, Alliance and Cooperation. The Treaty has been effective since 25 June, 2003 (Žin., 2003, No ). It defines regulations on cooperation between the Parties of the Treaty in detection of criminal offence, including organized crime, corruption, terrorism, illegal financial operations, illegal traffic of drug and psychotropic substances, air and sea piracy, and smuggling. On 10 July, 2001 the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania ratified Treaty between the Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Poland on Cooperation in Organized Crime and Felony Detection (Žin., 2001, No ; 2003, No 97), effective from 10 November, Article 4 of the Treaty contains the provisions, regulating the following scopes of activities of the Parties to the Treaty: 1) rendering of information on: a) traffic of drug, psychotropic substances and precursors thereof; b) production, storage locations and methods of drug, psychotropic substances and precursors thereof, as well as on means of transportation; c) destinations of drug, psychotropic substances and precursors thereof being transported; 2) submission of samples of drug, psychotropic substances and precursors thereof; 3) exchanging of experience in legal circulation of drug, psychotropic substances and precursors thereof; 4) upon prior coordination, the Parties shall participate in joint operations for liquidation of international groups, engaged into illegal traffic of drug, psychotropic substances and precursors thereof, and shall jointly control supply of drug, psychotropic substances and precursors thereof. On 30 October, 2003 the Republic of Lithuania and EUROPOL, perceiving the necessity of urgent solution of problems, arising due to international organized crime, and in particular, terrorism, human trade and illegal carriage of immigrants, illegal drug trade and other international felonies, and taking into consideration that on 27 March, 2000 the Council of the European Union deputed EUROPOL to enter into negotiations on cooperation treaty with Lithuania, and that on 14 October, 2002 the Council of the European Union enacted there were no impediments for the deed of covenant to include that Lithuania and EUROPOL shall exchange personal data, considering that none of the treaty provision should breach or affect otherwise the regulations of a treaty on mutual legal assistance, existing contacts between law and order institutions, or other covenants on information exchange concluded between the Republic of Lithuania and any member state of the European Union, signed the Treaty on Cooperation, the scope of which is to improve cooperation between member states of the European Union, acting through EUROPOL, and Lithuania in international felony detection in defined areas with a prime focus on information exchange and maintenance of continuous cooperation between Lithuania and EUROPOL on all respective levels. On 18 September, 2003 item 3 of Section 1 of Article 11 of the Law on Insurance adopted by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (Žin., 2003, No ), regulating the assessment of irreproachable character, competence and experience of private and legal entities, sets forth that a private entity shall not be considered being of an irreproachable character, if it is abused by drug, toxic, psychotropic substances, or alcohol. On 4 December, 2003 the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania adopted the Law on Fundamentals of Youth Policy (Žin., 2003, No ), the purpose of which is to define the principles of implementation of the youth policy (parity, subsidiary, interdepartmental coordination, participation, information, voluntarism, autonomy, communication and cooperation), the scope of implementation of the youth policy (in the spheres of education of public spirit and national service; education, training, science, studying and training; informal training; employment and occupation; provision of accommodation; leisure time, recreation, creation and culture; social security and healthcare, wellness, physical training and sports; drug addiction and other forms of addiction; crime prevention), arrangement and administration of the implementation of youth policy (via control of authority and municipal institutions implementing the youth policy, i.e. the Government, ministries, governmental agencies and institutions; State Council of Youth Affairs under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania; municipal institutions, - and by defining their competence in the sphere of the youth policy). On 22 April, 2003 the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania adopted the Law on Amendment and Supplement of Articles 2, 3, 4 and Sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25 of the Annex of Law on National Security (Žin., 2003, No ; No 49). The amendment of 4

5 Section 4 of the Annex of Law of previous edition is regulated in Part 3 of Article 6 of the mentioned deed: the title of the section Economical Policy was amended by Public Security Policy, and sets forth as follows: crime detection, ensuring of public order and personal security shall be among major priorities following the national security of the state. The State must combine its forces for resolute and effective crime detection, particularly, organized crime, shadow economy, corruption and drug addiction, and thus ensure an apropos security inside the State. It is necessary to enforce the operations of the law and order institutions in detection and investigation of crime; as well as to develop new patterns of crime control and prevention systems. On 17 June, 2003 the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania adopted the Law on Amendments to the Education Law (Žin., 2003, No ), effective from 28 June, The amended Law contains the provision on education availability for persons suffering from social isolation. Part 1 of Article 33 of the Law provides for that education availability for children from socially isolated families suffering from poverty, as well as for homeless, refugee and unsteadying children, the unemployed, ex convicts, undergoing the treatment for alcoholism and drug addiction, as well as for people isolated from the social life, shall be ensured through social services and pedagogical assistance. On 13 March, 2003 the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania adopted Resolution No IX-1361 Regarding Supplements to the Resolution of the Seimas on Draft and Implementation Schedules of Long-term National Security Enforcement Programmes and assigned the Government of the Republic of Lithuania to draft a new edition of the Programme on National Drug Control and Prevention of Drug Addiction for The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, in observance with the regulations of Law on National Security (Žin., 1997, No 2-16; 1998, No ) and National Security Strategy, approved by the Resolution No IX- 907 of the Seimas, as of 28 May, 2002 (Žin., 2002, No ), and supporting the efforts of the Government to execute crime prevention and control, by Resolution No IX-1383, as of 20 March, 2003, Regarding Approval of the National Crime Prevention and Control Programme (Žin., 2003, No ), approved National Crime Prevention and Control Programme, effective from 3 April 2003, and proposed the Government a motion to organize the implementation of the National Crime Prevention and Control Programme, and recommended for District Chiefs and Municipal Institutions to draft and implement crime control and prevention programmes in observance with the provisions of National Crime Prevention and Control Programme. Section II of the legal deed analyzes current situation and states that intoxication from alcohol and drug or psychotropic substances often causes commitment of crime or a precondition that the third of the delinquent people commits the crime in an inebriated state. The legal deed sets forth the priority trends of crime prevention and control with the focus on prevention and control of crimes related to drugs. The Programme specifies that increasing number of crimes related to drugs, edging problems of drug addiction and related social and healthcare issues urge to give the priority for control and prevention of crimes related to drugs. The following goals are set: to improve and continuously implement an integrated national policy on drug control and prevention of drug addiction in compliance with the national social, economical and legal reforms, as well as respective international standards; to improve the implementation of the policy on drug control and prevention of drug addiction, and to improve its coordination on either national or municipal levels, execute the monitoring, make efficiency assessments; improve administrative skills of the law and order institutions, ensure financial, material, technical support; to prevent from transporting of drugs across the borders, enforce the protection of state borders, improve customs procedures, intensify the cooperation between respective police forces and border protection and customs institutions; to ensure an apropos control of legal circulation of drug and psychotropic substances, and the precursors thereof; to improve public education, information about drug gravity, social, medicinal and legal consequences, and in particular, to take care of children and youth education and healthcare, propagate a wholesome life; to ensure an availability and a proper healthcare and rehabilitation for people, abused by drug and psychotropic substances, or suffering from addiction to drugs and psychotropic substances; to prompt activities of public organizations in drug control and prevention of drug addiction, develop the cooperation between authority institutions and public organizations, private sector and international organizations. The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania in support for the Governmental efforts to implement drug control and prevention of drug addiction, on 8 April, 2004 adopted Resolution No IX-2110 Regarding Approval of the National Programme on Crime Prevention and Control for and approved the National 5

6 Programme on Crime Prevention and Control for (hereinafter referred to as the Programme). The Programme sets forth strategic goals (to suspend and reduce the spread of drug addiction, determine and implement major guidelines and process trends of national policy in prevention of drug addiction and drug control, and improve the efficiency of prevention of drug addiction in Lithuania) and tactical goals (to implement an effective system of drug control and prevention of drug addiction; to develop a general system of early diagnostics and treatment of drug addiction, rehabilitation and reintegration into the society in order to assist people abused by drugs; to reduce the traffic of drug, psychotropic substances and precursors; to improve legislation, enabling an effective elimination of causes of drug addiction spread; to decrease the number of infectious diseases and deaths caused by drug taking). Major goals and scopes defined by the Programme (to develop a negative public attitude to taking of drug and psychotropic substances, and in particular taking care of prevention of drug addiction in families, among children and youth, educate the values of wholesome life in children and youth; to develop the cooperation between authority institutions, implementing prevention of drug addiction and drug control, public organizations and community; to prompt the initiatives of municipal and regional administrative institutions in solution of problems of drug addiction prevention and drug control; to improve the activities of the law and order institutions in order to decrease the supply of drugs and impede the availability; to develop the system for gathering and analyses of objective information on prevention of drug addiction and drug control, complying with the requirements of the European Union; to ensure the implementation of measures for prevention of money laundry, received from drug traffics; to ensure an effective management, control and coordination of activities of authority institutions, implementing prevention of drug addiction and drug control; to develop conditions to substitute punitive measures for light crimes with the alternative treatment measures for the drug addicts) and principles (openness, ensuring of support, complexity, effectiveness and economical legitimacy, action flexibility and innovation, succession, scientific legitimacy and lawfulness). The Programme emphasizes trends of the policy coordinated and implemented by the State in prevention of drug addiction and drug control (in the spheres of legislation, education, healthcare, occupancy, social and punitive policy), international cooperation (in order to ensure the more expanded international covenants on principles and forms of prevention of drug addiction and drug control, Lithuanian institutions actively cooperate with the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), Europol, Interpol, International Drug Control Bureau of the United Nations (INCB), and other international organizations, and participate in international assemblies, in order to exploit the opportunities given by the membership in international organizations in as much as possible extent, to intercept a positive experience of other states in prevention of drug addiction and drug control; at the moment an international cooperation is intensified in order to prompt the development of direct contacts of institutions and representation, implementing the prevention of drug addiction and drug control with respective authority institutions of other states), defines the priority trends of prevention of drug addiction and drug control (primary drug addiction prevention among children and youth; reduction of illegal supplies of drugs and psychotropic substances; healthcare, rehabilitation and social reintegration of people taking drugs and psychotropic substances; scientific researches and development of information system). On 20 May, 2003 the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania adopted Resolution No IX-1569 Regarding Approval of Child s Welfare Concept in the National Policy (Žin., 2003, No ), effective from 31 May, The approved Child s Welfare Concept in the National Policy contains a provision pertaining to major focus on programmes for a child s health, and national strategies and policies being developed and implemented to prevent from occurrence of various addictions, including alcoholism, drug addiction and taking of psychotropic substances. The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, following a joint Convention on Drug Substances adopted by the United Nations in 1961, the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances adopted in 1971, the UNO Convention on Fight against Drug and Psychotropic Substance Traffic adopted in 1988 and ratified by the Republic of Lithuania, and Resolution of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, as of 2002, Regarding Prevention of Drug Addiction in Lithuania, on 18 March, 2003 adopted Resolution Regarding Policy of Drug Control (Žin., No 2003, No ) and decisively condemned the attempts to legalize drugs and policy, stimulating the spread of drug addiction; the Parliament of Lithuania militated for the support of all initiatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations, preventing the abuse by drugs, supporting prevention of drug addiction, treatment, rehabilitation and obligatory restrictions and prohibitions, as basic principles of effective drug control policy, and endorsed principal provisions of the Viennese Declaration as of 2003, and invited Lithuanian public organizations and society to join the endorsement of the Declaration. 6

7 The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, considering the report on condition and development of national security in 2002 submitted by the Government, in its Resolution, as of 3 July, 2003 Regarding Report on Condition and Development of National Security in 2002 (Žin., 2003, No ) the Seimas noted that institutions ensuring national security had been implementing long-term programmes on strengthening of national security, enforcing internal and external security and stability of the State. Lithuania had been actively participating in international organizations, contributing to efforts of international community to ensure democracy, human rights, security, and it had been decisively supporting international community in its terrorism detection, successively following guidelines and emergency schedules defined by the Programme on Terrorism Detection. However, Lithuania still remains exposed to trans-national threats. The expansion of such trans-national threats as organized crime, illegal trade in arms, drugs, illegal migration, and dangerous diseases (including AIDS) trespasses national borders and challenges national security with its dangers and threats, and the probability of the expansion is constantly increasing. The Seimas proposed the Government a motion to implement the following measures necessary for the Lithuanian national security: 1) to ensure the implementation of undertaken obligations on proceeding democratic, defensive, economical, legal reforms after Lithuania s rightful membership in NATO and the EU; 2) to strengthen coordination of the law and order institutions, consider and adopt a resolution on establishment of a respective structure within the Governmental Chancellery; 3) to take active measures in order to ensure an even economical and social development of regions; 4) to take specific measures against the following increasing threats and risk factors for national security of the country: human immunodeficiency virus, alcoholism, spread of drug addiction, remaining high level of corruption, and tax evasion. Striving for improvement and better coordination of activities of authority and municipal institutions and offices in prevention of drug addiction and drug control, on 21 August, 2003 the Government of the Republic of Lithuania adopted Resolution No 1059 Regarding Establishment of Drug Control Department under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (Žin., 2003, No ) and resolved on 1 January, 2004 to establish a budgeted institution Drug Control Department under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter referred to as the Department). The Government of the Republic of Lithuania, implementing the provision on establishment of departmental commission for coordination of drug addiction problems, included into the Programme of National Drug Control and Prevention of Drug Addiction for , approved by Resolution No 970 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on 6 September, 1999 (Žin., 1999, No ; 2001, No 8-235), by its Resolution No 416, as of 8 April, 2003 Regarding Approval on Standard Provisions of Municipal Drug Control Commissions approved the Statutes of Standard Provisions of Municipal Drug Control Commissions (hereinafter referred to as the Statutes). The Statutes regulate goals of the Municipal State Control Commissions (in implementation of national policy on drug control and prevention of drug addiction, to coordinate the activities of drug control and prevention of drug addiction on the territories of Municipalities), functions (to cooperate with municipal and authority institutions, offices, non-governmental agencies and international organizations, Governmental Drug Control Commission in issues pertaining to prevention of drug addiction, treatment, rehabilitation, control of drug and psychotropic substances; to arrange meetings, seminars and training for municipal and authority institutions and offices on topical issues of drug control and prevention of drug addiction; to analyze statistical data about turnover and control of psychotropic substances submitted by interested municipal and authority institutions and offices; to perform assessments of implementation of drug control, prevention of drug addiction at medical, education, social institutions, tend that people suffering from addiction to drug and psychotropic substances would recover and integrate into society, etc.), as well as the rights of the Commissions. Following the provision of part 6 of Article 12 of the Law on Safe Traffic via Roads (Žin., 2000, No ; 2003, No ) providing for that a person, whom the licence to drive a vehicle is legally incapacitated due to the breach in an inebriate from alcohol or drugs, medicines or other intoxicants condition, and if the term of incapacitation is expired, the driver s licence shall be returned in the procedure set forth by the Government or authorized institution after a medicinal and educative attestation; as well as the provision of Article 5 of the Law on Supplements and Amendments to Articles 2, 3, 6, 12 of the Law on Safe Traffic via Roads of the Republic of Lithuania (Žin., 2003, No ) providing for that till 1 January, 2004 the Government shall approve the procedure of lectures on harm of alcohol and drugs to human health, on 9 7

8 September, 2003 the Government of the Republic of Lithuania adopted Resolution No 1143 Regarding Implementation of the Law on Safe Traffic via Roads of the Republic of Lithuania. The Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania authorizes the Ministry of Interior to draft and by 1 December, 2003 to approve the procedure on returning of driver s licence for a person, whom the licence to drive a vehicle is legally incapacitated due to the breach in an inebriate from alcohol or drugs, medicines or other intoxicants condition after a medicinal and educative attestation and assigned the Ministry of Health to draft and by 1 November, 2003 to submit a project on training procedure and programmes of lectures on harm of alcohol and drugs to human health to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania in the procedure set forth by national legislation. On 11 September, 2003 Resolution No 1160 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania Regarding Approval and Implementation of National Strategy on Harmonious Development approved National Strategy on Harmonious Development, identifying the inadequacies of public healthcare. The deed emphasizes that health of population has not been included into priority national interests so far, and the measures of healthcare and health fortifying are often ignored due to huge expenses, institutions often fail to concede that economical prosperity largely depends on health of population. Major focus shall be made on public healthcare. The deed proposes for an active interdepartmental cooperation in healthcare, in order to avoid a negative impact on health. Modern methods for assessment of impact on health, for calculation of economical losses due to bad health are not applied in the process of decision-making and identification of priorities. The number of smoking, drinking and taking drugs people is constantly increasing. Among the measures for implementation of long-term strategy goals in public healthcare, the deed provides for the education of skills of people belonging to the social and health risk category to adapt to the surroundings, and teaching of such persons to overcome the problems of public healthcare independently. National Strategy provides for the improvement of early diagnostic and control system of germproof diseases and their risk factors; draft and implementation of complex programmes on prevention of germproof diseases and traumas, draft and continuous implementation of infectious disease prevention and control programmes, draft of programmes for prevention of drug addiction at schools, expansion of permanent social and medicinal rehabilitation of drug addicts and people with HIV, participation in implementation of the EU programmes on international prevention of drug addiction. In order to implement measures of mid-term goal implementation, it is projected to implement economical measures of disease prophylactics, implement National Programme on Traumatism Prophylactic for , approved by Resolution No 423 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on 14 April, 2000 (Žin., 2000, No ); National Programme on Tobacco Control, approved by Resolution No 954 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on 30 July, 1998 (Žin., 1998, No ), National Programme on Alcohol Control approved by Resolution No 212 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on 25 February, 1999 (Žin., 1999, No ); to implement National Programme on Drug Control and Prevention of Drug Addiction, Programme on AIDS Prophylactics and Control; National Programme on Prophylactics of Mental Diseases, approved by Resolution No 1441 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on 20 December, 1999 (Žin., 1999, No ). On 2 October, 2003 by Resolution No 1216 Regarding Approval of National Strategy on Prevention of Drug Addiction and Drug Control for the Government of the Republic of Lithuania approved the National Strategy on Prevention of Drug Addiction and Drug Control for (hereinafter referred to as the Strategy), defining the priorities of the National Policy in relation with prevention of drug addiction and drug control, Strategy goals (the major of which is to reduce and suspend the spread of drug addiction in order to ensure the security and safety of the state and society), tasks (take care of the information and education availability to all strata of the society, perform close cooperation with non-governmental institutions, communities, mass media, develop and implement training programmes within the systems of healthcare, education and science, law and order, social security; to educate a negative attitude towards drugs and psychotropic substances in the society, in particular tend for prevention of drug addiction in families, among children and youth, educate children and youth in the sense of mature moral values and wholesome life, stabilize and reduce the use of drugs; to develop and implement a harmonious system of healthcare, social rehabilitation and reintegration into the society, complying with public needs and substantiated scientifically in order to assist people, taking drugs and psychotropic substances; to improve activities of the law and order institutions controlling the traffic of drugs, in order the illegal supply of drugs would be reduced; to develop and implement scientifically substantiated system of prevention of drug addiction, and drug control monitoring, assessment and coordination of effectiveness of programmes and projects being implemented, to install information system in a more rapid manner, improve cooperation of international organization, authority institutions, non-governmental agencies, and society; to develop modern 8

9 and well-functioning system of training and competence improvement for experts in prevention of drug addiction and drug control), Strategy implementation means (the priority is given to the primary prevention of drug use in a family, among children and youth), it is also stated that the implementation of the Strategy shall be coordinated by the Governmental Drug Control Commission, and administered and controlled by the Drug Control Department under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. Implementing regulations on implementation means set forth in the Programme of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania for , approved by Resolution No 1196 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on 4 October, 2001 (Žin., 2001, No ; 2003, No ), by its Resolution No 451, as of 10 April 2003 Regarding Approval of the Programme on Prevention of Suicides for the Government of the Republic of Lithuania approved the Programme on Prevention of Suicides for (effective from 10 April, 2003) (Žin., 2003, No ), emphasizing that according to the data of World Health Organization, suicides have become the most common cause of deaths among young population (at the age of 15-34); the society is derived of its most active members; attempts to commit suicide may be by 20 times more than stated officially; most common mental disorder resulting in suicide is depression, though the number of suicides among people suffering from schizophrenia is also huge; often suicide is caused by the taking of psychotropic substances, notwithstanding whether psychotropic substances are used by the suicide himself/herself, or by his/her family members; the Programme provides for the link with other health programmes being implemented in Lithuania (including the link with the National Programme on Drug Control and Prevention of Drug Addiction for , approved by Resolution No 970 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on 6 September, 1999 (Žin., 1999, No ), sets forth the trends of suicide prevention (provision with information and changing of public attitude; support and assistance for risk groups and people; scientific researches and analysis), goals (for an early period: to set prevention means for the greatest suicide risk groups; to draft training programmes on suicide and crisis prevention for the primary healthcare experts, as well as competence improvement programmes for the mental health experts; to provide Lithuanian children, teenagers and adults with availability of psychological aid, and for the purpose thereof to restructure the services providing aid on telephone and improve their activities; to strive for harmonization of training programmes for the services engaging voluntary consultants, and for apropos coordination of training courses; to develop the system enabling to guarantee continuous and successive services provided by professional mental health experts and volunteers, to improve and maintain the qualifications of experts and volunteers; to assist in establishment of new crisis and suicide overcome teams with assignment to mediate for social and medicinal services and ensure a constant aid within critical situations; to train members of crisis overcome teams to recognize the suicide alerts; via mass media to disseminate information, educate the attitude that the suicide can be prevented; regularly provide with information about suicide prevention for the employees of education and law and order institutions, heads of offices and organizations, priests, representatives of mass media and religious communities; to define socialeconomical conditions evoking the risk of suicides, and resulting from rapid social and economical changes; to perform regular prevention and postvention work with the family members of the suicide; follow-up goals: by 2010 to reduce the number of suicides to an average index of Europe, and for the purpose thereof to intensify the influence of governmental and non-governmental institutions on the process of decision making in the sphere of mental health; to make arrangements for implementation of efficient programmes on prevention of suicides and psychological crises in all Lithuanian regions; to perform the prevention, intervention and postvention work in the sphere of suicides and crisis on the territory of Lithuania; to form a constructive attitude towards life, the value of a human-being and settlement of conflicts; instil a wholesome way of life and a negative attitude towards harmful habits; to define groups suffering from serious social problems and render them with necessary social, psychological and medicinal aid; to ensure an availability of psychological aid for people suffering from emotional, behavioural and addiction problems, as well as for those experiencing crises, and sustaining violence; to arrange for regular dissemination of information about organizations providing with psychological aid and explaining the ways of self-help; to establish entities proficient at providing with physical, psychological and psychiatric rehabilitation for people overcoming crises around the clock; to make assessments of the programme results, the need for and efficiency of preventive measures, to revise activity trends), means of implementation (provision with information and training; assistance for people disposed to commitment of suicides; scientific researches and analyses). Implementing the provision on disease prevention, healthcare, reduction of disconformities in healthcare, set forth in the Programme on Implementation Means of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania for , approved by Resolution No 1196 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on 4 October, 2001 (Žin., 2001, No ; 2003, No ), by its Resolution No 1273, as of 14 October, 2003 Regarding 9

10 Approval of National Program on HIV/AIDS Prophylactics and Control for (hereinafter referred to as the Programme), the Government of the Republic of Lithuania approved the National Programme on HIV/AIDS Prophylactics and Control for (hereinafter referred to as the Programme), analyzing the situation, defining key goals of the Programme (to reduce expansion of HIV/AIDS and related infectious diseases in Lithuania; to minimize negative consequences made by HIV and related infectious diseases to an individual and society; to provide people infected with HIV and suffering from AIDS with apropos healthcare services; to improve the system of HIV/AIDS monitoring), priorities of the Programme (primary HIV prophylactics, the priority of which falls on people belonging to great risk groups, i.e. individuals taking intravenous drugs and their family members; individuals engaged into prostitution and people buying the services, and in particular, sailors, long-distance lorry drivers, etc.; imprisoned and exconvicts; employees of prisons, police officers, soldiers; youth and teenagers; healthcare experts; cooperation with other institutions and non-governmental organizations, and communities, etc.), principles of the Programme (inter-institutional; enforcement of existing systems and structure in order to implement respective prophylactics and healthcare of HIV/AIDS and related diseases in Lithuania; respect for human rights; adoption of preventive decisions on the basis of experience of Lithuania and other countries, development of international cooperation and exchange of information, regional cooperation; HIV second generation monitoring under the UNAIDS and WHO recommendations), tasks and functions of the Programme (to prevent from parenteral expansion of HIV, i.e. to perform prophylactics among individuals taking intravenous drugs; to cooperate with various related institutions (as well as non-governmental ones), to perform the analysis of prevention of drug addiction in order to define the efficiency of reduction of HIV expansion, and to make respective improvements, to prevent from HIV expansion individuals, taking intravenous drugs both on the outside and in prison; to involve community members into provision of mobile services, and to prompt educative activities; to arrange the prophylactics of HIV/AIDS in the Lithuanian prisons; to cooperate with educative institutions, non-governmental organizations, and other services, strive for the youth to realize the harm of drugs, avoid alcohol and early, accidental and unsafe sexual intercourse; to perform prophylactics of HIV transmission through sexual intercourse; to make prophylactics of HIV transmission by mothers to their children; improve healthcare services and social work for individuals infected with HIV and suffering from AIDS; to ensure an apropos quality of HIV laboratory analyses and AIDS monitoring, control the quality of laboratory operations; to include the issues of HIV/AIDS prophylactics and control (infections and HIV transmitted through sexual intercourse, means of safety, possibilities and application of antivirus therapy, prophylactics of HIV transmission by a mother to her child, interaction of tuberculosis and HIV, attendant infections) into educational programmes and post-graduation courses of competence improvement; to coordinate means and monitoring of the programme implementation on site), trends of the implementation of the Programme tasks (prevention of HIV/AIDS and related infections, and drug addiction; nursing, healthcare and social work for individuals infected with HIV and suffering from AIDS; diagnostics of HIV/AIDS and other infections; HIV/AIDS epidemiologic supervision; ensuring of efficiency of the Lithuanian AIDS Centre s operations), principals of the Programme (control of the Programme implementation shall be pursued by the Ministry of Health, general principal Lithuanian AIDS Centre; other institutions participating in the implementation of the Programme are the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Interior, Prison Department under the Ministry of Justice, universities, colleges, other scientific and educative institutions, National Public Health Service, Public Health Centres, Municipalities, district principals, mass media, non-governmental organizations, public and professional associations, private entities), implementation and coordination of the Programme (following the order of the Minister of Health, the established Programme Coordination Council shall annually report to the Minister of Health; the Programme shall be implemented by the governmental institutions, districts, Municipalities, doyen offices, nongovernmental, public and other organizations depending on the competence. The projected activities are cooperation with other interested institutions, international organizations, communities, mass media, army, police officers and voluntary army), means of the Programme implementation. On 27 November, 2003 by Resolution No 1478 Regarding Approval of Statutes of the Drug Control Department under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (Žin., 2003, No ) the Government of the Republic of Lithuania approved the Statutes of the Department. The deed regulates legal basis of the Department operation, defines limits of its competence, sets forth major goals (to implement the policy on prevention of drug addiction and drug control, by defining of basic trends of the policy implementation; to make arrangements for the implementation of the means of prevention of drug addiction and drug control, coordinate the activities of authority and municipal institutions and agencies in prevention of drug addiction and drug control), functions (settles issues related to the implementation of the policy on 10

11 prevention of drug addiction and drug control, proposes authority and municipal institutions and agencies motions on priority trends of the prevention of drug addiction and drug control and improvement of the activities; following its competence, the Department drafts conceptions, strategies, programmes and draft legal deeds, proposes a motion on improvement of respective legal deeds; analyzes and makes assessment of the reports submitted by authority and municipal institutions and agencies on implementation of the policy on prevention of drug addiction and drug control; coordinates the exchange of information about the implementation of prevention of drug addiction and drug control between related authority and municipal institutions and agencies; following its competence, the Department shall maintain contacts with respective institutions and international organizations of the European Union and other foreign countries, exchange information, draft international treaties, participate in implementation of international projects, by assignment of the Government or Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania, the Department shall represent the Republic of Lithuania abroad or at international organizations; makes arrangements for monitoring of expansion of drug and psychotropic substances taking, accumulates, analyzes and provides related institutions with information about implementation of prevention of drug addiction and drug control, national and foreign tendencies, consequences of the use of drugs and psychotropic substances, drafts medicinal recommendations; performs monitoring of implementation of drug addiction prevention and drug control; drafts summary records on funds provided for the implementation of the policy on prevention of dug addiction and drug control; informs the public on the activities of the Drug Control Department, cooperates with public organizations, mass media, scientific and educative institutions, etc.; implements other functions set forth by laws and legal deeds), and the rights. Implementing Part 2 of Article 269 of Criminal Code (Žin., 2000, No ) of the Republic of Lithuania, establishing definitions on quantity differentiation of drugs and psychotropic substances to be identified on the basis of recommendations approved by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania, the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania adopted Order No V-239, as of 23 April, 2003 Regarding Recommendation Schedule on Quantities of Drugs and Psychotropic Substances on Trafficking and adopted recommendations on differentiation of drug and psychotropic substance quantities. The legal deed identifies weight or solid measures for small, greater and large scale of drugs or psychotropic substances listed therein. Implementing requirements set forth by the Convention on Drug Substances adopted by the United Nations in 1961 and Convention on Psychotropic Substances adopted in 1971, and Resolution No 718 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, as of 19 May, 1995 Regarding Import of Certain Goods (Commodities) into the Republic of Lithuania, Export Whence the Republic of Lithuania, and Transit via Territory of the Republic of Lithuania (Žin., 1995, No ) and taking into consideration that recently Lists of Drug and Psychotropic Substances have been amended (Žin., 2000, No 4-113; 2001, No ; 2002, No ; 2003, Nr ), on 2 May, 2003 the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania adopted the Order Regarding Order No 7 of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania, as of 7 January, 2000 Regarding Amendment to List of Drug and Psychotropic Substances, Requiring Permission of the Ministry of Health on their Importation or Exportation and amended the List of Drug and Psychotropic Substances, Requiring Permission of the Ministry of Health on their Importation or Exportation, approved by Order No 7 of the Minister of Health on 7 January, 2000 Regarding List of Drug and Psychotropic Substances, Requiring Permission of the Ministry of Health on their Importation or Exportation (Žin., 2000, No ), excluding from the III List of Psychotropic Substances for Use in Medicinal Purposes the substance included into the III List of Convention on Psychotropic Substances adopted in 1971 Flunitrazepam, Absint, Conexine, Flunitrax, Hipnox, Libelius, Rohypnol, the chemical name of which is 5-(o-fluorophenil)-1,3-dihidro-1-metil-7-nitro-2H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-on and the code of which is , as specified in the Combined Nomenclature of Goods, and including it into II List of Psychotropic Substances for Use in Medicinal Purposes, as specified in the II List of Convention on Psychotropic Substances adopted in Joint Order No 118/V-234 of the Ministers of Justice and Healthcare of the Republic of Lithuania, as of 22 April, 2003 Regarding Approval of Treatment Procedure in Prisons of the Convicted Suffering from Addictive Disorders (Žin., 2003, No ), taking its effect on 1 May 2003, approved the procedure of treatment of the convicted suffering from addictive disorders in prisons. The procedure defines the treatment of the convicted suffering from the addiction to alcohol, drug or psychotropic substances (hereinafter referred to as the Patients) in prisons. 11

12 Implementing requirements of the Law on Control of Drug and Psychotropic Substances of the Republic of Lithuania and appealing to information on increase of number of cases of intoxication and indulgence in preparations containing barbiturates and ethyl alcohol provided by the National Public Healthcare Centre, on 10 July, 2003 the Chief of the State Health Centre under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania adopted Order No 1A-266 Regarding Reclassification of Medicine Valocordin (Žin., 2003, No ) and reclassified the medicine Valocordin (registration No 94/1311/9, producer Krewel Meuselbach, Germany) and changed its status as a medicine available without prescription into a medicine available by prescription only. Implementing requirements of the Law on Control of Drug and Psychotropic Substances of the Republic of Lithuania and appealing to information on increase of number of cases of intoxication and indulgence in preparations containing barbiturates and ethyl alcohol provided by the National Public Healthcare Centre, on 1 October, 2003 the Chief of the State Health Centre under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania adopted Order No 1A-461 Regarding Reclassification of Medicine Korvalol (Žin., 2003, No ) and reclassified the medicine Korvalol (registration No 98/5700/3, producer Farmak AB, the Ukraine) and changed its status as a medicine available without prescription into a medicine available by prescription only. Implementing Item 1.3 (to analyze resources of current means on prevention of drug addiction and drug control) of the Annex Means of Implementation for of the National Programme on Drug Control and Prevention of Drug Addiction for of the National Programme on Drug Control and Prevention of Drug Addiction, approved by Resolution No 970 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on 6 September, 1999 (Žin., 1999, No ; 2001, No 8-235) and the Programme on Establishment of Social Pedagogy Personnel at Educative Institutions for , approved by Resolution No 471 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on 24 April, 2001 (Žin., 2001, No ), on 28 August, 2003 the Minister of Education and Science adopted Order No ISAK-1205 Regarding Funding of Social Pedagogy Personnel from 1 September, 2003 (Žin., 2003, No ) and approved the right of institutions receiving funds by means of tender to employ a social pedagogy personnel from 1 September, Order of the Director of Prison Department under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania, adopted on 24 September, 2004 Regarding Order No 112 of the Director of Prison Department of the Republic of Lithuania as of 27 December, 2001 Regarding Programme on Legal and Social Education of Individuals Being Discharged from Prisons (Žin., 2003, No ) defined anew provisions of the Programme on Legal and Social Education of Individuals Being Discharged from Prisons. In terms of prevention of drug addiction, the most important thing is that such programmes are implemented in the form of courses, and the subject list of the courses has been supplemented with prevention of HIV/AIDS and drug addiction, i.e. the convicted are being introduced with harm made by the taking of drug substances to physical and mental health, as well as with possible negative legal and social consequences. Order No V-175 of the General Commissar of the Lithuanian Police, as of 16 April 2003 Regarding Approval of Statutes and Structural Scheme of the Criminal Police Bureau (Žin., 2003, No ) approved the Statutes of the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau (effective from 1 May, 2003), whereof Section II sets forth tasks and functions of the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau, including functions of Organized Crime Investigation Office to gather, accumulate, process and assess information about drug traffics and to coordinate the operations of the country s police offices in this sphere; to ensure the maintenance and functioning of informative database on drug traffic; to organize special police operations on the territory of the country and international preventive operations; to investigate and prevent criminal practices related to drug traffics, and to coordinate the operations of the country s police offices in the sphere; to plan and implement long-term strategic operations in the sphere of illegal drug business; to investigate the production of illegal drugs; on the territory of the country to coordinate and implement operations of large-scale detention of drugs; to perform international special operations of drug traffic control. On 2 July, 2003 the Minister of Interior of the Republic of Lithuania adopted Order No 1V-250 Regarding Approval of Strategy on Public Security Development till 2010 (Žin., 2003, No ), effective from 4 December 2003, and approved the Strategy on Public Security Development till The legal deed emphasizes public security to be an essential provision in ensuring of the national security. The key goal of the Strategy on Public Security Development is to define the priorities and trends of implementation for the activities of authority and municipal institutions, as well as tasks and means ensuring public security 12

13 considered as one of essential provisions for safe living and increase of common welfare of the Lithuanians. Lithuania is successively implementing the preparation for the membership in the European Union in the spheres of justice and interior affairs, making a specific focus on defence of national borders and fight against organized crime and corruption. In the run-up to the implementation of the Schengen ACQUIS requirements, cardinal reorganization of border control, visa policy, illegal migration control, and data protection is undertaken. Cooperation with the European Union in the spheres of justice and interior affairs, enabled to seize advantages of PHARE support for strengthening of public security, i.e. improvement of infrastructure and facility supply of border protection units, interception of ACQUIS, development of National Schengen Information System, strengthening of forces fighting against corruption and drug traffics, establishment of National Europol Bureau, renovation of laboratory of the Criminal Investigation Centre, and development of National System for Crisis Prevention and Management. Major risk factor largely aggravating the security of an individual and society is still prescribed for organized crime mostly related to drug traffics, money laundering and trade in humans, and corruption. Implementing Part 2 of Article 3 of Law on Toxic Substances of the Republic of Lithuania (Žin., 2001, No ) and Resolution on Improvement of Treatment and Prevention of Intoxication, adopted by the Assembly of the European Council and Governments of the member states on 3 December 1990, and striving for the accumulation of information on intoxication and specific prophylactics hereof, and submission of the information to legal and private entities, on 8 October, 2003 the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania adopted Order No V-597 Regarding Procedure on Accumulation of and Provision with Information Related to Intoxications and Specifics of Prophylactics. State Health Centre was assigned to accumulate and provide with information related to intoxications and specifics of prophylactics, to make assessment of risk to human health caused by chemical substances and preparations, as well as to gather and accumulate information about impact of chemical substances on human health and risk factors. The deed sets forth the regulation indicating that information about cases of intoxication, including intoxications with drugs, must be provided by all institutions of healthcare, other competent entities, making a diagnosis or suspecting a diagnosis of intoxication Drug Control Coordination Structure in Lithuania Coordination, implementation and control of the policy on prevention of drug addiction and drug control is entrusted to a number of Lithuanian institutions, such as Committees of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, National Health Council, Temporary Commission on Drug Prevention Affairs under the Seimas of Republic of Lithuania, Governmental Drug Control Commission, Drug Control Department under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, Police Department under the Ministry of Interior. Some functions are delegated to other institutions or departmental agencies. Committee of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania At their sittings Committee of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania lead discussions on bills, draft conclusions, examine problems provided for an examination to a Committee; develop bills and drafts of other legal deeds to be adopted by the Seimas, analyze the necessity of new laws or their amendments; discuss on the programme of the Government as well as programmes of activities of state institutions in specific spheres. Temporary Commission on Drug Prevention Affairs under the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania Under Resolution No IX-928 of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania Regarding Establishment of Temporary Commission on Drug Prevention Affairs under the Seimas of Republic of Lithuania, as of 4 June 2002, Temporary Commission on Drug Prevention Affairs under the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, consisting of 14 members, had been established and entrusted to control the course of implementation of drug addiction prevention programmes and use of funds allotted for prevention of drug addiction. Governmental Drug Control Commission The Governmental Drug Control Commission (hereinafter referred to as the Commission) is a permanent interdepartmental establishment, engaged in coordination of drug control and prevention of drug addiction. The Commission is headed by the Minister of Health. The key task of the Commission pertains to the coordination of the actions bound with drug control and prevention of drug addiction in Lithuania in order to ensure an implementation of the sole policy of drug control and prevention of drug addiction meeting the 13

14 requirements of international treaties of the Republic of Lithuania and laws of the Republic of Lithuania. The Commission cooperates with interested ministries, Governmental authorities, municipal institutions, public and international organizations dealing with problems related to prevention of drug addiction, treatment, rehabilitation, control of circulation of narcotic and psychotropic substances and precursors, consults interested state institutions within its competence and provides them with proposals and recommendations on improvement of drug control and prevention of drug addiction; in cooperation with municipal institutions, it analyses the situation of drug control and prevention of drug addiction in urban and rural areas, arranges meetings and conferences on issues related to drug control and prevention of drug addiction; analyses the course of implementation of laws of the Republic of Lithuania, resolutions of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and international treaties on issues related to drug control and prevention of drug addiction. Drug Control Department Seeking for improvement and coordination of the activities of the state and municipal institutions and organizations in the sphere of prevention of drug addiction and drug control, on 1 January 2004 the Government of the Republic of Lithuania by its Resolution No 1059, as of 21 August 2003, established a budgeted institution Drug Control Department under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. The Regulations of the Department were approved by Resolution No 1478 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania Regarding Approval of Regulations of the Drug Control Department under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, as of 27 November The legal deed regulates legal basis of the activities of the Department, establishes the limits of its competence, describes its principal tasks (to implement the policy of prevention of drug addiction and drug control after an identification of the principal trends of implementation of the said policy; to make arrangements for the implementation of the measures of drug control and prevention of drug addiction, to coordinate other activities of state and municipal institutions in the sphere of prevention of drug addiction and drug control), functions (to settle issues related to the implementation of the policy on prevention of drug addiction and drug control, to submit proposals on priority trends of the activities in prevention of drug addiction and drug control, and improvement of such activities to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, as well as state and municipal institutions and organizations; to develop conceptions, strategies, programmes and draft legal deeds, to provide with proposals on the improvement of relevant legal deeds within its competence; to analyse and assess reports of the state and municipal institutions and organizations on the course of implementation of measures related to prevention of drug addiction and drug control; to coordinate exchange of information on the implementation of measures related to drug addiction prevention and drug control between interested state and municipal institutions and organizations; to liaise with relevant institutions of the European Union and foreign states as well as international organizations within its competence, to exchange information, to develop projects of international treaties, to participate in the implementation of international projects). It organizes monitoring of prevalence of narcotic and psychotropic substances use, accumulates information on implementation of measures related to prevention of drug addiction and drug control, its trends within the state and abroad, the consequences of the use of narcotic and psychotropic substances, analyses such information and provides it to interested institutions; develops methodical recommendations; is engaged in observance of the implementation of the measures related to prevention of drug addiction and drug control. REITOX National Focal Point Seeking for ensuring of compliance of gathering, analysis and dissemination of comparative data on drugs in Lithuania with the standards of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction approved in the European Union, the REITOX National Focal Point was established at the State Mental Health Centre in 2001 according to the Order of the Minister of Health. In 2002, by the Order of the Minister of Health the National REITOX Focal Point was transferred to the National Public Health Supervision Service under the Ministry of Health. The establishment of the National REITOX Focal Point was one of the tasks of the National PHARE Programme Strengthening Illicit Drug Demand and Supply Reduction Capabilities for Since May 2004, the functions of the National REITOX Focal Point have been undertaken by the Drug Control Department under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania; one of its functions is to ensure an implementation of the requirements of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and the EU legal deeds in the sphere of drug control and prevention of drug addiction. 14

15 Drug Control Division of the State Medicines Control Agency under the Ministry of Health Since 1 April 2003, the structure of the State Medicines Control Agency under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania has been a subject to alteration under Order No 153 of the Head of the State Medicines Control Agency under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania Regarding Structure of the Service and List of Personnel, as of 28 November 2002, and such alteration resulted in elimination of the Drug Commission from the structure. Since 1 April 2003, the functions of the latter have been performed by the Drug Control Division. The key task of the Drug Division of the State Medicines Control Agency under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania is to ensure legal circulation of drugs, psychotropic medicines, medicinal substances and precursors. In course of execution of entrusted tasks, the Drug Control Division performs the following functions: participates in development of legal deeds regulating legal circulation of narcotic and psychotropic substances, and precursors; develops, coordinates and submits for approval post-legislative and methodical instruments on regulation of wholesale and retail circulation of narcotic and psychotropic medicines, their import and export (prescription practices, procedure for dispensation, accounting, packing, marking, storage, transportation, destruction, etc. of narcotic medicines at pharmaceutical and healthcare institutions); regulates and controls import and export of narcotic and psychotropic medicines and their precursors (formation and correction of lists of medicines that may be imported/exported under licenses; issue of import/export licenses, gathering of data on actual quantities of imported and exported substances, etc.), controls legal circulation of narcotic and psychotropic medicines and precursors in the way of licensing and registration of enterprises. Commission for Licensing of Pharmaceutical Activities and Activities Related to Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances and Precursors The Commission for Licensing of Pharmaceutical Activities and the Activities Related to Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances and Precursors (hereinafter referred to as the Commission for Licensing) was approved by Order No V-205 of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania, as of 8 April 2003, in order to regulate pharmaceutical activities and the activities related to narcotic and psychotropic substances and precursors under the Ministry of Health. The purpose of the Commission for Licensing pertains to the issue of licenses (permissions) on engagement in pharmaceutical activities to enterprises, physical persons, healthcare institutions, charity organizations and subdivisions of training of pharmacy experts, as well as suspension of validity of such licenses, cancellation of such suspensions and termination of licenses. Police Department under the Ministry of Interior Strategy on Fight of Operational Activity Subjects against Illegal Traffic of Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances the Republic of Lithuania was approved by Resolution No 179 of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania Regarding Strategy on Fight of Operational Activity Subjects against Illegal Traffic of Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances the Republic of Lithuania, as of 6 February The subjects of implementation of the Strategy are state institutions empowered by the State, which are obligated to engage into the strategic function, namely: the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Interior, National Security Department of the Republic of Lithuania, special investigation offices of the Republic of Lithuania and subdivisions of the Customs Department under the Ministry of Finance. Subjects of strategic activities exchange information on drug traffic, carry out joint strategic actions, coordinate actions related to protection of secret information and cooperate otherwise. The Police Department under the Ministry of Interior is obligated to coordinate the fight of subjects of operational activities of the Republic of Lithuania against illegal traffic of narcotic and psychotropic substances Budget and Public Expenditure The Government of the Republic of Lithuania budgeted the implementation of the National Programme on Drug Control and Prevention of Drug Addiction for (hereinafter referred to as the Programme) by the amount of EUR 3 million 136 thousand. Assignations for implementation of the Programme were distributed among the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, Police Department under the Ministry of Interior, State Border Guard Service under the Ministry of Interior, State Council of Youth Affairs, and centres of addictive disorders. 15

16 For implementation of the National Programme on Drug Control and Prevention of Drug Addiction for , in 2003 the Ministry of Health received the amount of EUR 102 thousand, whereof the amount of EUR 62 thousand was intended for prevention of drug addiction: the support was given to the projects on prevention of drug addiction and rehabilitation of drug addicts, drafted by 13 organizations, funds enabled to make arrangements for draft and publishing of printed and video material, Municipalities organized teamwork trainings, seminars, conferences on prevention of drug addiction; the amount of EUR 32 thousand was allotted for development of international cooperation, and implementation of international programmes, EUR 2.9 thousand was given for training of experts, and EUR 4.5 thousand for drug monitoring, and dissemination of information about problems caused by drug addiction. The Ministry of Education and Science was budgeted with the amount of EUR 987 thousand. The Ministry organized courses and granted EUR 29 thousand for funding of the primary prevention projects, EUR 920 thousand for establishment of social pedagogy personnel at education institutions, EUR 5.8 thousand was allotted for the organization of ESPAD (Research project on alcohol and other drugs at the European schools) researches in order to estimate the expansion of drug and psychotropic substances among year-old pupils, EUR 8.7 thousand for training of pedagogues, EUR 2.9 thousand for organization of various events related to the prevention of drug addiction, EUR 20.3 thousand was allotted for draft and publishing of printed and video material for schoolchildren and students of different ages, as well as for publishing of methodical and informative publications for pedagogues and parents. For implementation of the National Programme on Drug Control and Prevention of Drug Addiction for , in 2003 the Ministry of Social Security and Labour was budgeted with the amount of EUR 137 thousand. The projects on prevention of drug addiction and rehabilitation of individuals suffering from addictive disorders drafted by various organizations were supported by approximate amount of EUR 116 thousand. Altogether 24 projects on establishment of rehabilitation communities and centres for individuals suffering from addictive disorders, including the increase of treatment space at operating establishments, reimbursement of services provided and improvement of service quality were supported. EUR 5.8 thousand was granted for psychological-pedagogical rehabilitation camps for children belonging to risk groups, as well as for organization of extracurricular events on prevention of drug addiction, and occupation of children s and youth s leisure time. Employees engaged into work with individuals and families belonging to risk groups were granted EUR 15.7 thousand for training and retraining. For implementation of the Programme, in 2003 the Police Department under the Ministry of Interior was budgeted with EUR 197 thousand. The amount enabled to improve material-technical facilities of specialized units for drug control and prevention of drug addiction, and to implement modern investigation methods. Criminal Investigation Centre of the Lithuanian Police acquired different equipment, conforming to the standards of the European Union. The means were financed with the amount of EUR 188 thousand. Practical methodical courses for competence improvement in the country and abroad were allotted the amount of EUR 2.9 thousand. Events for commemoration of the Day of International Fight against Drug Addiction received the amount of EUR 5.8 thousand. In 2003 State Border Guard Service under the Ministry of Interior was budgeted with EUR 10 thousand. The funds were used for acquisition of drug detection and recognition means, as well as for training of officers, engaged into border inspection. In 2003 Prison Department under the Ministry of Justice was allotted the amount of EUR 775 thousand for the equipping of the isolated sector of 300 spaces at Alytus Prison. It is projected that the sector will be accommodated by the offenders suffering from addiction to drugs, as well as individuals infected with HIV. Funds allotted for the Programme enabled to arrange trainings for prison and penitentiary employees, and provide with printed material about prevention of drug addiction and HIV and other infectious diseases. In 2003 State Council of Youth Affairs was budgeted with the amount of 29 thousand euro. The funds were allotted for financing of projects of youth organizations in the sphere of prevention of drug addiction. Altogether 14 projects were supported. Administrations of Kaunas, Klaipėda, Panevėžys, and Šiauliai were financed with EUR 900 thousand for strengthening of activities of centres of addictive disorders. Vilnius Municipality allotted EUR 878 thousand to Vilnius Centre of Addictive Disorders for increase of service extent. 16

17 In 2003 Compulsory Health Insurance Fund budgeted the centres of addictive disorders with EUR 435 thousand, following Order No V-695 of the Minister of Health, as of 27 November, 2003 Regarding Approval of Schedule of the Programme on Availability and Improvement of Medicinal Services for Individuals Suffering from Addictive Disorders for Funds for Drug Control and Prevention of Drug Addiction in Table 1.1 Institution/the Year Funds budgeted (Euro thousand) Drug Control Department under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania Ministry of Health Centres of Addictive Disorders (in Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Panevėžys) Ministry of Education and Science Police Department Ministry of Social Security and Labour Prison Department under the Ministry of Justice State Council of Youth Affairs State Border Guard Service TOTAL Extra funds: Vilnius Centre of Addictive Disorders thousand euro (incorporator Vilnius Municipality), Centres of addictive disorders thousand euro (from funds of Obligatory Health Insurance). Diagram 1.1 Distribution of Funds for Programme on Drug Control and Prevention of Drug Addiction by Trends in 2003 (percentage) Control of illegal traffic 33 Primary prevention 36 Treatment, rehabilitation 31 17

18 1.5. Social and Cultural Context In 2002, Vilnius University carried out the research that had disclosed the standpoint of residents of Lithuania, representatives of groups of various professional and civic interests as well as experts on issues related to harmful habits, the impact of mass media and the ways of representation of these problems by mass media. Lecturers and students of Faculty of Philosophy and Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University took part in the study. Methodology of Research In terms of social cognition, members of the community may be divided into experts, well-informed citizens and persons from street. The first group presents a narrow stratum of the community and disposes precise and professionally grounded information on social processes and events in certain social sphere. Persons from street present a considerable part of the community; their information of social events is of practical character and is based on presumptions and stereotypes rather than on precise information. Well-informed citizens present an intermediate stratum between the above-mentioned groups. They are sufficiently informed on a certain social sphere; however, their knowledge is considerably affected by the education and personal intellectual capabilities, not by professional training and practice. Experts and well-informed citizens are similar in their critical standpoint in respect of non-checked, unclear and stereotypical information; however, the first, dispose more precise information than the latter do. Well-informed citizens are similar to persons from street in their privity that is nevertheless of the level of opinions, not of knowledge. However, the opinions of these groups differ: the opinion of well-informed citizens is based on good information and the opinion of persons from street is public opinion. The method of case analysis was applied in the combined research. Life stories of drug addicts, the attitude of youth towards harmful habits and the rhetoric of harmful habits in modern mass culture (mass media, movies) were examined. Qualitative (such as deep interviews, biographical method) and quantitative (analysis of the contents) methods of study were used in analysis of cases. Conclusions of Research The carried out combined study on harmful habits showed that various discourses on smoking, drug and alcohol use and other forms of conduct that are considered harmful habits exist in Lithuania. All groups involved in the research, first of all, correlate harmful habits with drug addiction that is simultaneously considered the most serious and urgent problem of Lithuanian youth. It is notable that recent research on Lithuanian youth showed that youth is minded to provide a priority to social and economic problems. An increased attention to drug addiction does not conform to the personal experience of the respondents themselves: in the realty, they most frequently get into collision with alcohol addiction or vituperation than with drug addiction. Taking into consideration that mass media is the principal source of information of the population on harmful habits, it may be stated that television and press has contributed to formation of such opinion as well. An attention should be paid also to the fact that, in the opinion of the population, the principal cause of spreading of harmful habits is a lack of occupation at leisure as well as a lack of micro-and macro-social control. In such a way, the vision of prevention of harmful habits is formed: first of all, it is correlated with strengthening of family control, organizing of the youth leisure and enlightening. Although the state policy in the sphere of prevention of harmful habits is criticized, it is nevertheless thought that legal institution may assist in prevention of spreading of harmful habits of youth. These results of the national study practically coincide with the assessments of experts from various professional groups involved in the discussions on prevention of harmful habits during the combined study. In the opinion of pedagogues, officials of legal institutions and representatives of public organizations, engaged in work with youth, expressed during the discussion, the principal problems of youth are drug addiction, unemployment, alcohol addiction and smoking. They think that namely unemployment provides preconditions for spreading of harmful habits. In the discussion on the causes of youth unemployment, the experts paid attention to economical (lack of funds both for schools and families), social (lack of communication of parents and teachers with youth), and psychological (youth is passive and indifferent, has no aspirations) aspects. 18

19 Experts from legal institutions and public organizations, engaged in work with youth, stressed the gap between the values of the mass consumer culture and real possibilities of youth. The incapability to live in accordance with the imposed standards of the mass consumer culture forces the youth to commit a crime or to choose various forms of protesting that often are harmful to the youth itself and unacceptable to the community. Participants of discussion groups noted that the conflict predetermining an appearance of harmful habits involves two parties and they should share the responsibility. Pedagogues, in their turn, paid an attention to the fact that prevention of harmful habits is usually related to campaigns of the fight against harmful habits, and its character is formal and incidental. The experts proposed to develop consistent programmes for prevention of harmful habits as an alternative to fragmentary and hectic actions that would involve children of various age groups and their families. The analysis of life stories of persons with addiction to narcotic substances shows drugs are usually started to use in early adolescence. In this period, maturing teenagers suffer a psychological and social crisis. In each examined case, the same trend a lack of permanent close relations with the parents had been obtained. In most cases, an underage boy or girl did not live with the parents, but was tutored by other relatives, such as an aunt, grandmother, etc. In some cases, the parents were divorced, worked hard and the children rarely saw them. It may be concluded from interviews with experts that in present the network of agencies engaged in rendering medical and psychological-social services for a family is insufficiently developed in our state. Services in family psychological consulting and family psychotherapy are not established in our medical system. No family addressed itself to the family doctor or primary Mental Health Centre for the problems of drug addiction of their child. Persons under research, found no institution providing a combined long-term systematic assistance to a family upon such serious problem as involvement of a teenager into use of narcotic substances. The short-term treatment at psychiatric division is insufficient, the assistance should be continued and involve the whole family and the community. Statements of the respondents attest a particularly poor development of social integration network on the community level; a lack of social solidarity; trends of social disjuncture in community and society. Soon after starting to use drugs, the vicious circle appears not only in intrapsychical and physiological mechanisms (when the substance causing the dependence is the only remedy to feel better), but also in the context of public health, because the user is politely hustled out from the community because of its involvement in stigmatization and intolerance of marginal groups. It may be supposed that one of the most important causes of spreading of drug addiction in the community is the attitude of the community, considering drug addicts to be individuals, undeserving to function in open civic community. Youth is inclined to correlate harmful habits, first of all, with use of narcotic substances and strong drinks as well as with smoking. Youth particularly stresses the problem of drug using; however, it becomes clear from the answers of respondents that youth gets into collision with this problem indirectly. Youth quasi repeats the same assessments of youth spread in the society. While identifying the factors predetermining an appearance of harmful habits, the respondents, among other factors, such as impact of friends, relations with parents, curiosity, mentioned uncontrolled leisure as well. Both the assessment of drug using and the own leisure provide a basis for the hypothesis that youth has assumed the principal measures of the public discourse usable for construction of the problems of harmful habits, including drug addiction. The analysis of Lithuanian mass media showed a considerable attention of press to the problem of harmful habits; however, publications in newspapers were more oriented to description of events and alarming than to serious analyses of the problem and discussions on the effective measures able to prevent various harmful habits. The attention of television channels to harmful habits is poorer than the one of Lithuanian press. Reference: Vilnius University The Research for a Development of the Strategy on Prevention of Harmful Habits. Final Report. Dr., Ass. Prof. Arūnas POVILIŪNAS, Dr. Ass. Prof. Aleksandras DOBRYNINAS, Dr., Ass. Prof. Dainius PŪRAS, Vilnius

20 2. Drug Use in the Population 2.1. Drug Use in the General Population No information available Drug use in the School and Youth Population Information available in Standard table No. ST-02, ST-22 and in 2003 Lithuanian National Report to the EMCDDA. 3. PREVENTION The most operative and efficient solution of drug use problem is a primary prevention. Primary prevention means measures enabling to prevent the factors of social risk, i.e. to inculcate a wholesome life, develop the immunity for negative phenomena prior to confronting with such phenomena. In solution of the topicality of the problem, either authority institutions or non-governmental organizations make a major focus on and allot significant funds to the implementation of the primary prevention measures at school, in a family, and community. Activities of the Ministry of Education and Science In 2003 the Ministry of Education and Science budgeted the implementation of the National Programme on Drug Control and Prevention of Drug Addiction for with the amount of EUR thousand, whereof EUR 920 thousand was allotted for funding of social pedagogy personnel at educational institutions, EUR 37.7 thousand for implementation of the projects on prevention of drug addiction, EUR 20.3 thousand for preparation and publication of printed material and methodical facilities, and EUR 8.7 thousand for organization of the pedagogues training. The Ministry of Education and Science established and funded 480 workplaces for social pedagogues at educational institutions. In 2003 the Ministry of Education and Science announced a project tender and in observance with Order No ISAK-628 of the Minister of Education and Science, as of 12 May 2003, Regarding Funding of Drug Addiction Projects in 2003, budgeted the implementation of 74 projects, wherof 13 projects on organization of psychological-pedagogical rehabilitation camps for children attributed to the risk groups, and aggrieved due to the use of narcotic substances, 10 projects for drafting and publication of printed and video, and didactical material; 16 projects for organization of pedagogues training, and 35 projects for organization of informal prevention of narcotic and psychotropic substances at school. Within the period of the Ministry of Education and Science organized psychological-pedagogical rehabilitation camps for children attributed to the risk groups, and aggrieved due to the use of narcotic substances, as well as extracurricular events on prevention of drug addiction; it also made arrangements for free time occupation of children and young people; it budgeted 13 projects altogether. In order to include issues on prevention of drug addiction into the educative contents of the preschool and higher education schools, as well as to organize preparation and publication of printed, video material for pupils and students of various ages, the Ministry funded the publication of 3 books, 2 methodical recommendations, 1 methodical practice, 1 booklet, 1 CD and 1 video tape. The Ministry financed 16 projects on pedagogues training, events for prevention of drug addiction, preparation and publication of educative tools and didactical practice set, as well as methodical and informative material for parents and pedagogues. 20