The New Face of the Cold War: Drugs
According to the “2017 Report on Anti-Drug Activities, ”which covers the work of eight ministries, 2,148 people in Turkey have lost their lives due to drug use since 2007. Between 2014 and 2016, 680,575 people received drug treatment, while the ALO 191 Anti-Drug Support Hotline received a total of 106,112 calls over a 2.5-year period. According to the report, over the past 2.5 years, 147,346,531 lira was spent on medication and treatment costs alone as part of the fight against drugs.
In 2017, the Ministry of the Interior conducted 117,909 operations against drug gangs; of the 168,986 people taken into custody during these operations, 13,921 were arrested. A total of 184 metric tons and 291 kilograms of various types of narcotics, 28,673,903 narcotic pills, and 19,157,669 cannabis plants were seized.
This grim toll amounts to the destructive ammunition of a cold war waged against our children, who are the guarantee of our future.
Last weekend, our Minister of Health, Mr. Ahmet Demircan, highlighted that the issue of drugs is a sensitive one, stating, “It seems as though Turkey has been targeted by terrorist organizations and certain forces when it comes to drugs. We perceive the impression that efforts are being made to spread drugs in Turkey. To prevent this, the state, with all its institutions, is striving to do its part.” I share his view entirely.
At this point, it appears that Turkey is facing a very dirty cold war aimed at destroying its future. The most important weapon in this war is drugs. In essence, drugs have become the art of winning a war without firing a single shot.
Not a day goes by without seeing the devastating effects of this dirty war in the media, accompanied by images of our young people in distress. How can anyone bear to witness such horrific scenes!
The illicit drugs smuggled into our country in recent years can be easily obtained by young people and children at very low cost. I do not believe that these poisons—which change hands at least 3 or 4 times, from drug lords down to street dealers—are sold for a profit of just a few liras. As I have always said, “The most dangerous addictive substance is the one that is obtained most cheaply and easily.”For thisreason, I am absolutely certain that, as the Minister stated, we are facing a despicable scheme targeting our children, our youth, and our future.
Undoubtedly, it is the youth who constitute the sole guarantee and potential of a nation. Drugs are the quickest and most lasting way to destroy a nation’s future and tomorrow. Addictive substances in general—and drugs in particular—are a noose thrown around the necks of our youth. A nation whose youth—the guarantee of its future—is being corrupted and eroded has no future to speak of. If a country loses its youth—its most valuable potential—what other asset could carry it into the future or keep it safe in the years to come?
In conclusion, no matter the cost, we must defeat this poison and those behind it, and we must win this orchestrated Cold War aimed at destroying our future! First and foremost, our Ministry of Health, our Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, and the Ministry of National Education—along with our media, civil society organizations, schools, religious institutions, and families, the core of our society—must act in a steadfast and responsible mobilization for this cause.
It is vitally important that everyone show the necessary self-sacrifice and common sense during this mobilization. Only then will the youth be our youth, and the future be our future.
I am confident that our nation, which possesses the strength to thwart any and all attacks aimed at undermining its future, will act with the same determination in the fight against drugs.
May you stay healthy and well.
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