Merve Yıldızalp
February 10, 2022•Update: February 10, 2022
ANKARA
Deaths in Turkiye due to drug abuse fell by over three-fourths over the last five years, said the nation’s vice president on Thursday.
Speaking ahead a meeting on combatting addiction at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara, Fuat Oktay said that the details of a new campaign launched to combat drug addiction will be shared with the public.
"Our campaign will be carried out under the auspices of our President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his esteemed wife Emine Erdogan," he said.
"We achieved a 79% drop in deaths related to drug use in 2021 compared to 2017," he underlined.
He said that the first meeting of 2022 will assess the basic strategies to fight harmful habits, the results of action plans, and boosting coordination between institutions.
Oktay underlined that as part of efforts to tackle drug abuse, risk maps of provinces were drawn up, and the Higher Education Council prepared an "Action Plan for Combating Addiction" at universities.
On Interior Ministry anti-drug operations, Oktay said that there was a 195% increase in operations against drug dealing in 2021 compared to 2015.
He added that the fight against drug addiction continues at full speed with the help of public tips and a dedicated mobile app.
Some 83% of 110,000 derelict buildings used for drug trafficking were demolished or cleared of drug dealers and restored, he said.
The number of drug addiction treatment centers rose from 113 in 2018 to 137 today and spread to all 81 of Turkey’s provinces, he said, and the bed capacity in treatment centers rose 92%.
Oktay added that the establishment of Turkiye’s first laboratory that will determine the ingredients of tobacco products is also in its final stage.
