Legal Assistance to Drug Users
00:00, November 18, 2008 | Drug users
On November 15, 2008, the first live TV broadcast was held within the framework of the project “Legal Assistance to Drug User” on “Fortuna TV” in Stepanavan.
Arthur Sakunts, the coordinator of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor, was the guest of the programme. He presented the main goal of the running project, the services provided, the liabilities defined by legislation used for illegal distribution of drugs, as well as the latest legislative changes.
During the TV broadcast the televiewers had the opportunity to get answers to the problems they raised. They were particularly interested in whether there was need for intervention by a specialist for treatment of addicts. Arthur Sakunts gave a positive answer because besides treatment of physical addiction, there is necessity for psychological treatment that requires a long period of time.
The next question of the viewers was related to the influence of addicts on the environment. Sakunts explained, that most of all they influence those, who have little awareness of the consequences of drugs. “From this point of view the most vulnerable families are the socially insecure ones, which besides various problems have low level of knowledge or education”,- mentioned Sakunts. Therefore, raising the level of legal awareness of society is of importance on which the TV programmes are focused.
“It is prescribed in the Criminal Code, that the person is freed from liability in case of voluntarily handing drugs. However, not a single case was recorded during 2006-2007” – informed Arthur Sakunts.
The question of the third viewer was interested in the difference between the treatment of drug users and alcohol addicts. Arthur Sakunts finds that drugs cause stronger psychological addiction as compared to alcohol. That is the reason why alcohol addiction is possible to cure in a shorter period of time than drug addiction.
In answer to the question “Which is the first step abstaining from drugs?” Arthur Sakunts presented his own approach, according to which, the first step should be support, careful and clever attitude. It should also be kept in mind that addiction does not occur all at once, so the consequences have to be realized beforehand.
The live broadcast was held within the framework of the project “Legal Assistance to drug Users” that was launched by HCA Vanadzor on October 1, 2008. It is the follow up of the pilot project directed towards the protection of the rights of drug users. This project covers not only Vanadzor, but also Alaverdi and Stepanavan towns of Lori region. The goal of the project is to provide drug users with legal assistance.
The project focuses on providing drug users with legal consultation and their protection in the court, as well as the monitoring of criminal and administrative lawsuits, as the study proves that the violation of human rights during lawsuits has a systematic character.