With the aim of developing a state policy to combat the distribution of psychoactive substances and drug abuse, as well as establishing a coordinated institutional mechanism, the Interagency Coordinating Council for Combating Drug Abuse (hereinafter, the Council) was established in 2014 by the Government of Georgia under its Resolution N342.

The Council is chaired by the Minister of Justice of Georgia and it is composed of the representatives of different thematic state institutions. Aside from that, the Council brings together the representatives of the international and local non-governmental organizations. The Department of International Relations and Legal Cooperation at the Ministry of Justice of Georgia plays the role of a secretariat, it provides the Council with technical and substance-wise assistance and supports the working group and the independent experts in their work.

In December 2013, in order to adopt a new approach towards the fighting against drug abuse and establish a balanced policy, the Council approved the National Drug Strategy. New Drug Strategy for 2023-2030 was adopted on February 24, 2023 on the Council meeting along with its implementation Action Plan for 2023-2024. The aim of the Drug Strategy is to reduce medical, social and economic damage caused by the illicit turnover of drugs for an individual, family, community and society on a national level. It should be noted that, the National Strategy on Combating Drug Abuse is based on 4 pillars approach – (1) Prevention; (2) Treatment and Rehabilitation; (3) Harm Reduction; (4) Supply Reduction.

The same approach constitutes a baseline for the respective anti-drug action plans for 2014-2015, 2016-2018, 2019–2020, 2021-2022 and 2023-2024.

To address the existing challenges and the harm caused by the drug abuse in the country, the National Strategy for the Prevention of Drug Abuse 2021-2026 has been elaborated. The main aim of the abovementioned strategy is to reduce the prevalence of the non-medical use of legal and illegal psychoactive substances in Georgia, and for that purpose to define key areas of action, the priorities and strategic directions of drug abuse prevention and institutional mechanisms for implementation of the respective strategy.

The Council plays an important role in collaborating with governmental agencies, local and international organizations. On November 4, 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Justice of Georgia and the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). On September 6, 2023, a new 2022-2024 Working Arrangement was signed between the Ministry of Justice of Georgia and the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), which is a logical continuation of the memorandum signed on November 4, 2015. Within the framework of the working arrangement, the parties aim at strengthening cooperation in terms of collecting, processing and exchanging information on drugs. Besides, sharing experiences and knowledge on drug-related health and social response mechanisms is also included in the working document. Within the framework of the working arrangement, EMCDDA supports the strengthening the capabilities of the National Drug Observatory and the process of creation an Early Warning System (NEWS) in the country.

The parties agreed to cooperate regarding the collection, processing, and dissemination of information on drugs. Furthermore, the objective of the MoU is to develop and improve the indicators of drug monitoring and assessment systems.

In May 2020, Georgia became the 41st member state of the The Pompidou Group (Council of Europe International Cooperation Group on Drugs and Addictions). The membership of PG further enhanced already existing excellent cooperation with the Pompidou Group in terms of exchanging best practices, expertise and refinement of national anti-drug policies. It is noteworthy that in June, 2022, the project " Developing a Drug Prevention Support Network for Parents and Professionals in Georgia" was launched, the goal of which is to promote the introduction of evidence-based preventive interventions in the country.

National Drug Observatory