Zagreb, March 3, 1999 (IKA) – “How to Stop the Spread of Drugs in Croatia” is the title of a document presented at a press conference held at the Center for the Social Sciences of the Church of the Croatian Conference of Bishops in Zagreb. This document, the first of its kind, was prepared by the Justitia et Pax Commission together with the Center for the Social Sciences of the Church, and was presented by the president of the commission, Bishop Ivan Milovan of Poreč-Pula, and the head of the Center for the Social Sciences of the Church, Dr. Stjepan Baloban. The document was also discussed by the secretary of the Justitia et Pax Commission of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Prof. Josip Grbac. Bishop Milovan emphasized that this document is intended to provide impetus in the urgent search for a way to stop the increasing spread of drugs. The document points out that there is a lack of individualized assistance provided by educators and other professionals to students and parents. The document urges those responsible to provide the prerequisites for the development for more supplemental instruction and activities for young people during their free time. In addition to seeking better financial compensation for teaching, the legal representatives of teachers and professors are urged to promote the needs of the educational system in the Republic of Croatia.
The second section of the document points out that young people need better organization and structuring of their free time through extracurricular school activities and out-of-school activities organized by cultural, athletic, artistic and other institutions, religious communities and citizen#!s associations. It was noted that 20% of the adolescents in Croatia over 16 years of age have tried drugs at least once, approximately 1,000 new drug addicts seek assistance at various centers in our country each year, and that an estimated 100,000 persons in Croatia have tried drugs at least once. According to data provided by the Government Commission of the Republic of Croatia for Preventing Drug Abuse, in 1997 there were 1,117 new drug addicts reported. This document points out that there is a lack of funding for this purpose. School gymnasiums are rented to outside persons for recreational purposes and there is a shortage of athletic facilities and recreational centers for young people. Therefore, the document urges adequate funding for extracurricular activities in and out of school, full welfare protection for children and young people; appropriate hours of operation for restaurants patronized by children and young people that are coordinated with the hours when public transportation is available; providing better quality television programs and films that present a wholesome example; and providing the prerequisites for children and young people to use school facilities for a variety of activities in their free time.
The third section of the document states that the increasing number of the victims of drug addiction is one of the most urgent problems in the new Croatian society. The document states that it is very easy to obtain drugs in Croatia and that drugs have become an increasingly integral part of recreation in the lives of young people. The document urges systematic and effective prevention of the spread of drugs and addiction. It recommends complex social intervention in connection with education and prevention as well as the repression of organized drug traffic, drug dealers and those who commit drug-related crimes.
In light of the situation, the document calls for the urgent passage of the Law on the Prevention of the Unauthorized Use of Intoxicating Drugs and in coordination with this law, the establishment of centers for the treatment and prevention of drug addiction and counseling centers. The document emphasizes the need to pass a law as soon as possible in order to regulate the obligations of the individual government ministries in connection with the organization of facilities and activities for young people in their free time. The document also recommends the urgent setting of policies regarding organized drug trafficking and drug pushers. The Croatian Sabor [Parliament] is urged to react appropriately to the report by the Commission of the Government of the Republic of Croatia for Preventing Drug Abuse by implementing a national strategy for combatting drug addiction. The problems of children and young people, particularly concerning addiction and its detrimental consequences for the entire society, must become the subject of serious consideration, both in the agencies of the executive government and in the highest government body of the Republic of Croatia, the Croatian Sabor. The Croatian Government and Sabor must demonstrate that Croatia has the will and policies to solve the numerous problems concerning young people, especially those in connection with the spread of drugs.