The legal experience of the CSTO PA in developing an anti-drug policy was discussed in Belgorod

On June 18, the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference "Prevention of Drug Addiction among Young People: Current Issues of Theory and Practice" was held in Belgorod.

Sergey Pospelov, the Executive Secretary of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly and Head of the CSTO PA Secretariat, addressed the organizers and participants with a welcoming speech. In his report, the Executive Secretary of the CSTO PA highlighted a number of special documents aimed at addressing the challenges in countering the drug threat. In particular, the Recommendations on the formation of unified lists of narcotic drugs and the harmonization of relevant legislation of the CSTO member states, the Recommendations on the formation of common approaches to the registration of new psychoactive substances, the CSTO model law “On the Prevention of Non-Medical Use of Drugs,” as well as the Statement of the CSTO PA Council on Countering Drug Abuse among Children and Youth were presented.

Sergey Pospelov said that currently, at the initiative of the Kazakh side, the CSTO model law "On Combating Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Precursors" is being developed, which is expected to be adopted in 2026. He recalled that before the creation of its own interparliamentary cooperation body in 2006, the regional standards of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly had a great influence on the formation of a coordinated policy of the CSTO countries. Currently, the development of regional legal standards is carried out within the framework of the CSTO PA's own five-year programs, and the program for 2026-2030 is already being actively implemented. In conclusion, Sergey Pospelov emphasized that, thanks to joint efforts with the competent authorities of the member states, the CSTO now has its own international legal standards for countering the modern drug threat. He expressed hope that the conference would provide impetus for solving the pressing problems of legal counteraction to drug addiction.