Grand National Assembly of Turkey<\/p>\n
Prof. Dr. Sevil Atasoy<\/strong>, Vice Rector of \u00dcsk\u00fcdar University<\/strong> and Director of the Institute of Addiction and Forensic Sciences, stated that approximately 450 metric tons of heroin <\/strong>passed through Turkey <\/strong>last year via the route known asthe \u201cBalkan Route<\/strong>\u201d in the drug trade.<\/p>\n The Parliamentary Research Commission<\/strong>, established to investigate drug addiction and new forms of addiction with the aim of identifying the causes of addiction and determining the necessary measures, convened under the chairmanship of Y\u0131lmaz Tezcan <\/strong>, AK Party Member of Parliament for Mersin.<\/p>\n In his presentation during the afternoon session of the meeting, Atasoy noted that heroin produced in Afghanistan is shipped to Russia and Europe, adding that the primary route to Europe is the so-called “Balkan Route,” which passes through Turkey.<\/p>\n Sevil Atasoy stated, “Last year, approximately 450 metric tons of heroin passed through Turkey via this route. We were able to seize part of this heroin, but we were unable to seize the rest.”<\/p>\n Noting that heroin production in Afghanistan has increased by 87 percent compared to last year, Atasoy said, \u201cTurkey is a transit country. But if 450 metric tons of heroin pass through a country\u2014no matter how much you seize, given that our seizure rate is around 40 percent\u2014the remainder, even though it\u2019s destined for Europe, its primary market, will inevitably seek out customers right here on our soil. After all, we\u2019re talking about smuggling that generates enormous profits,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n Atasoy, who emphasized today that drugs are the primary source of income for illegal organizations in Europe, explained that the drug known as \u201ccaptagon,\u201d which originates in the Balkans, is transported through Turkey to countries such as Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.<\/p>\n Noting that millions of Captagon tablets had been seized in some provinces in the Southeastern Anatolia Region, such as Hatay and Gaziantep, Atasoy reported that hundreds of Captagon tablets had also been seized in plastic bags in some tunnels near Afrin as part of Operation Olive Branch.<\/p>\n Noting that Captagon\u2014a type of amphetamine derivative\u2014has stimulant properties, makes it easier to resist hunger and thirst, is highly addictive, and is used by terrorist groups, Atasoy said, “Wherever there are terrorist groups or civil wars in the world, we always see that a specific amphetamine derivative is being used there,” he said.<\/p>\n Atasoy, noting that Turkey\u2019s efforts to combat drug production have always been met with great appreciation, continued as follows:<\/p>\n “However, we were unable to counter the demand with the same level of success. This is because, 25 to 30 years ago, we could not have foreseen that addiction would reach this point in this country. This is a belated effort. That said, I would also like to point out that efforts to control supply will be of no use whatsoever if efforts to curb demand are not successful. We need to place far greater emphasis on curbing demand. Curbing demand is an indispensable element of international agreements.”<\/p>\n Noting that only one in every six people with a drug addiction worldwide is able to receive treatment, Atasoy said that in Turkey, even that is not possible.<\/p>\n Atasoy, who stated that the misuse of prescription drugs or various painkillers inevitably leads to addiction, reported that a significant cause of illnesses and disabilities observed in infants in Turkey is factors such as various medications, smoking, and alcohol used during pregnancy.<\/p>\n Atasoy, who stated that the fight against drugs must be extended to the preschool years, noted that this would be possible through a collaborative effort involving several ministries.<\/p>\n Noting that methods for combating substance abuse vary from country to country, Atasoy said, \u201cThere are universal principles for preventive measures, but we need to take a local approach. This local focus is so crucial that the country, province, and district levels alone are not enough\u2014we need to tackle the issue differently at the neighborhood level. “That is why we need to understand our country in such detail,” he said.<\/p>\n Atasoy, who said he was familiar with the fight against drugs over the past 20 years, continued:<\/p>\n “We\u2019ve always taken photos. It\u2019s now clear that taking photos won\u2019t get us anywhere. Because drugs are being used. The age of first drug use has dropped, and violence and murders have increased. These are all interconnected issues. Because there are certain risks, and we can\u2019t do anything to protect people from them. These risks lead us either to substance use, to violence, to major failures, or ultimately to murder. In other words, the fight against drugs is not just about drugs\u2014it\u2019s also a fight against violence.”<\/p>\n Atasoy, who also addressed the risk factors that lead to substance abuse, noted that substance use within the family, a broken home, having a parent in prison, poverty, academic failure, and domestic violence are significant risk factors.<\/p>\n Officials from the General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Centers of the Ministry of Justice, who attended the meeting, also provided information on initiatives such as the Psychosocial Assistance Services of the Correctional Institution, the Individual Intervention Program for Alcohol and Substance Abuse, and the Tobacco, Alcohol, and Substance Abuse Program.<\/p>\n Reporter: H\u00fcseyin Gazi Kayk\u0131<\/p>\n <\/p>\n https:\/\/aa.com.tr\/tr\/politika\/tbmm-madde-bagimliligi-arastirma-komisyonu-toplandi\/1088872<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Grand National Assembly of Turkey Prof. Dr. Sevil Atasoy, Vice Rector of \u00dcsk\u00fcdar University and Director of the Institute of Addiction and Forensic Sciences, stated that approximately 450 metric tons of heroin passed through Turkey last year via the route known asthe \u201cBalkan Route\u201d in the drug trade. The Parliamentary Research Commission, established to investigate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":364,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[58,60,57],"class_list":["post-930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-parliamentary-investigative-committee","tag-sevil-atasoy","tag-substance-abuse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/umudder.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/umudder.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/umudder.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umudder.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umudder.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/umudder.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umudder.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/umudder.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umudder.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umudder.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}“The fight against drugs should begin in the preschool years”<\/h3>\n
“We took pictures the whole time”<\/h3>\n