"POPPY". "NO TO DRUG ADDICTION"

Undoubtedly, the problem of drug addiction concerns everyone and causes great alarm in society.

In the Vitebsk region, over a thousand individuals who use narcotic substances are registered with healthcare authorities. However, this is merely the tip of the iceberg; the actual number is orders of magnitude greater. Moreover, a significant portion consists of individuals who systematically use drugs and have developed persistent physical and psychological dependence.

Of great concern is the fact that these are primarily young people. Drug addicts increasingly draw young people into their ranks. Initiation occurs in places of mass recreation, clubs, and discos. For another dose, a drug addict is ready to addict their own loved one. Moreover, they will offer the first dose for free.

We would like to caution those who are tempted to try narcotic substances out of idle curiosity against making this fatal mistake in life. Excuses like "I'll just try it once" do not apply here. This is the insidious nature of drugs: they cause addiction, and you will want to try again. And drug addiction will have already ensnared another victim in its web.

Furthermore, with drugs such as heroin and methadone, dependence can develop from a single use. No less harmful are narcotic substances of plant origin, such as marijuana or poppy straw, which drug addicts consider "light." This is a naive delusion.

Parents should pay attention to the timely detection of drug use by their children. If you notice something, raise the alarm! Only immediate action can prevent this pernicious habit and protect them from disaster.

Several behavioral signs indicate adolescent drug use. You should be alerted if a teenager becomes withdrawn and secretive; changes friends in a short period; frequently lies; disappears from home without explanation; loses interest in family matters and previous hobbies; sleeps for extended periods during the day; often walks around the room at night, stumbling over objects; items and money start disappearing from the house; returns home in a state of intoxication, but without the smell of alcohol.

Employees of drug control units are conducting large-scale operations to suppress the distribution of drugs and establish facts related to the illicit trafficking of narcotic substances.

substances, and bringing guilty persons to justice.

The sowing or cultivation of plants containing narcotic substances is illegal; the work of law enforcement officers is aimed at identifying and destroying wild and specially cultivated plants, such as poppy, hemp, and others; identifying and bringing to administrative and criminal liability persons engaged in the cultivation of the specified vegetation for the purpose of subsequent manufacture of narcotic drugs, their sale, as well as eliminating the causes and conditions contributing to the spread of this category of narcotic drugs.

The main tasks set for the employees of the Internal Affairs Department (IAD) are to increase the effectiveness of efforts to suppress the spread of plant-based drugs through interaction with other state bodies and public associations.

In the event that poppy or hemp grows on a household plot, citizens may be brought to administrative responsibility. A fine of up to 20 basic units is provided for this offense.

From June 1 to September 15, 2022, on the territory of Lepel city and Lepel district, the district internal affairs department will conduct a special program "MAК" (POPPY).

Any information about persons using narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or involved in illicit drug trafficking, about facts of illegal sale, storage, transportation of narcotic drugs, or about illegal sowing of poppy and hemp can be reported by you by calling: 102 or 8029-710-27-89.