State Secretary at the Serbian Ministry of Health Nevena Karanovic said today that there are no exact data on the number of drug addicts in Serbia, but the estimated number is between 30,000 and 100,000.
Author:
Fonet
Karanovic said at a press conference held on the occasion of the International Day against Drug Abuse that in recent years the number of those infected with HIV virus among intravenous drug users has dropped, but infection with Hepatitis C increased significantly and has been registered with 38% to 60% of drug users.
The community's response to this problem has not been strategically elaborated at the state level so far and for that reason, the Serbian government formed in late 2004 a commission for prevention of abuse of psychoactive substances, whose main task was the elaboration of the first strategy for fight against drugs in Serbia from 2008 to 2012, Karanovic recalled.
She said that the proposal of this strategy is ready to be put to adoption in the Serbian government, and the Ministry of Health is preparing an action plan for 2008 which will define priorities and determine necessary funds from the budget.
Deputy Belgrade Mayor Radmila Hrustanovic said that drug abuse is a social problem whose resolution calls for participation of health institutions, the family, school, non-governmental organisations and other social institutions because a person does not become a drug addict all of a sudden, but gradually.