President Erdoğan Issues a Directive on Combating Addiction

A circular signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and published in the Official Gazette calls for the resolute continuation of efforts to combat substance addictions—such as drugs, alcohol, and tobacco—as well as behavioral addictions—such as gambling and technology addiction—and and to ensure coordination among ministries and public institutions and organizations, the High Council for the Fight Against Addiction has been reconstituted under the chairmanship of the Vice President, with the participation of the Ministers of Justice, Family, Labor and Social Services, Environment and Urbanization, Youth and Sports, Treasury and Finance, Interior, National Education, Health, Agriculture and Forestry, Trade, and Transportation and Infrastructure, as well as the Deputy Chair of the Presidential Council on Health and Food Policies.

The High Council for the Fight Against Addiction will be chaired by the Minister of Health in cases where the Vice President is unable to attend.

Within the framework of the strategies and action plans to be developed by the High Council, a committee chaired by the Deputy Minister of Health and provincial coordination committees chaired by the governor may be established upon the recommendation of the Minister of Health to carry out their duties. In addition, the High Council may establish working groups as needed.

The Ministry of Health will be responsible for providing secretariat services for the High Council, its committees, and working groups, as well as for following up on the decisions made. The Ministry of Health will prepare progress reports every six months and submit them to the High Council for review.

The assessments conducted, activities carried out, and results obtained will be shared with the public by the Chair of the High Council in the form of an annual activity report. Any support, assistance, or facilitation required for the work to be carried out by the councils in the field of combating addiction will be provided by the relevant public institutions and organizations, and the duties and responsibilities undertaken in the implementation of the decisions made will be fulfilled with due care.