Georgia prioritizes the importance of development of evidence-based drug policy. To respond the mentioned priority, the Minister of Justice of Georgia issued the Order on 16th of January, 2020 and established the National Drug Observatory (hereinafter – NDO), which is the institutional guarantee for collecting and analyzing of scientifically valid information on drugs and drug dependence issues.

The main tasks of NDO are monitoring and assessment of the drug situation in the country; collecting and evaluating information on drug distribution and consumption; and establishing evidence-based scientific-practical methods. Besides, NDO cooperates with thematic bodies, agencies and organizations at both national and international levels.

NDO operates under the Inter-Agency Coordinating Council for Combating Drug Abuse and it is chaired by the Secretary of the Council (Head of the Department of International Relations and Legal Cooperation at the Ministry of Justice of Georgia). NDO is composed of experts of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, harm reduction, supply reduction, addictology, sociology or epidemiology and representatives from the state agencies.

NDO prepars a National Drug Situation Report annually, which covers the drug related national situation and is based on the EMCCDA's five key indicators. The structure of the report includes information on national legislation and coordination mechanisms, prevalence and patterns of drug use, high risk drug use, drug-related death and infectious diseases, prevention, treatment, harm reduction and psychosocial interventions, the situation in penitentiary and probation systems, and recommendations. As of 2023, NDO has already prepared three reports - 2019, 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, NDO conducts thematic surveys/studies with the collaboration of national and international organizations:

• General Population Survey (GPS);
• European Facility Survey (EFSQ);
• European Web Survey on Drugs (EWSD);
• Wastewater analyses;
• Trendspotter studies - The impact of COVID-19 on drug markets, drug use, drug-related harms and responses (2020) and the impact of Russian Invasion to Ukraine over treatment and harm reduction services and drug Market (2022);

NDO is actively works across the country on gathering high-reliability information and creating and improving monitoring methodologies of the EMCDDA's key indicators.

Besides, based on the recommendations of the National Drug Reports, thematic working groups have also been created to further strengthen inter-agency cooperation and respond challenges related to information collection and analysi.