22 June, Minsk /BELTA/. The Ministry of Health proposes to introduce express diagnostic methods that will help detect drug addiction in young people at an early stage. This was announced today to journalists by the chief narcologist of the Ministry of Health of Belarus, Aleksei Alexandrov, BELTA correspondent reports. The narcologist explained that this type of diagnostics includes, in particular, chemical express tests that detect traces of drugs in the body. They can be either universal or designed for a specific group of drugs. The tests are sold in pharmacies. It is also possible to buy express tests of Belarusian production. They have been produced in Belarus since 2009 and surpass their Russian counterparts in sensitivity. Proposals for the use of such tests among students and working youth are contained in a draft law, which was developed jointly with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Customs Committee. The experience of the Customs Union and EU countries was taken into account during the development. It is expected that it will be submitted to parliament this autumn. At the same time, according to Aleksei Alexandrov, such express tests should be used in conjunction with other prevention methods. A test may not detect traces of drugs in the body if a person consumed them a week ago. In addition, a positive test result requires further verification in laboratory conditions. The representative of the Ministry of Health noted that, in addition to chemical tests, psychological testing should also be carried out. The Ministry of Health has also proposed other initiatives for drug addiction prevention. In turn, the head of the Department for Drug Control and Human Trafficking Counteraction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Aleksandr Gavrilov, reported that Belarus may adopt a psychological testing system developed in Kazakhstan. It allows determining whether a person is prone to drug use.-0-

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