Amirzhan Kosanov, a public figure and a member of the public chamber at the Mazhilis, proposed a radical method to combat drug addiction among youth on May 23 at the Mazhilis. He believes that mandatory drug testing among young people is necessary.
Kosanov stated that the issue of drug prevalence is not unique to Kazakhstan. In the fight against this problem, he suggests applying radical measures.
"Drugs are primarily spread among young people - high school students, college students. What do you think about conducting mandatory drug screening for students of all universities and colleges? This way, we could understand the real situation regarding drug consumption in the country," he said.
In response, Vice Minister of Internal Affairs Marat Kozhaev stated that this measure could be implemented. He cited the example of drug screening for employees in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which has been in place since 2022.
"When there is rotation or appointment to another position, we conduct mandatory drug screening for our employees. It must be acknowledged that individuals who consume illicit substances are also identified among them. Your proposal is very good, and we would support it. However, as you probably understand, significant resources may be required to carry out such extensive screening among schoolchildren and students. How objective will it be? Can we trust this data? What could be the consequences tomorrow? Corruption risks may also arise. If we address and eliminate all these questions, I believe the introduction of such screening would be beneficial," the Vice Minister said.
Earlier, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Marat Kozhaev stated that in recent years, Kazakhstan has become the epicenter of drug production in Central Asia.
