OSCE Mission to Montenegro supports regional meeting that examines challenges and threats posed by new psychoactive drugs

The emerging threat to the health and safety of society posed by new psychoactive drugs was the focus of a regional meeting organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in co-operation with the country’s Ministry of Health and the Police Directorate, on 26 and 27 November 2019 in Podgorica.

Around 30 participants from law enforcement agencies and health care institutions of Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, and Serbia attended the event. Together with experts from the Strategic Police Matters Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s Programme Office in Serbia and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), they discussed problems and challenges, and exchanged information and best practices on how to combat the illegal use of psychoactive substances.

John Corrigan, Mission’s Security Co-operation and Governance Programme Manager, pointed to the unprecedented growth in the synthetic drugs market, and the increasing sophistication and diversification of drug trafficking, both regionally and globally.

“The reports on the increase in the availability and trafficking of these new psychoactive drugs have raised alarm amongst the international community, especially with regard to organized crime groups profiting and exploiting this market,” he said.

Jasna Sekulić, Head of the Department for Drugs Policy in Montenegro’s Ministry of Health said that the country has established an early warning system for new substances in line with the EU acquis and international recommendations.

“The issue is common and knows no boundaries. We can act preventively only through joint forces and co-operation,” she said.

The Mission supported this regional meeting as part of its efforts to provide assistance to Montenegrin institutions in devising a multidisciplinary approach to combating illicit drugs, especially in the context of law enforcement agencies’ efforts in countering serious and organized crime.