Minister of Home Affairs and Professional Development, Ali Ihsaan, has stated that efforts are underway to complete the National Drug Policy, which is being formulated as part of the work against drugs, by the end of next month. The Minister said this while responding to a question posed by the Member of Parliament for Galolhu North constituency, Mohamed Ibrahim. The MP had inquired about the progress of form progress of formulating a national policy related to drugs, which was decided to be undertaken at the National Drug Control Council meeting held in June of last year.
In a written response to this question, Minister of Home Affairs and Professional Development, Ali Ihsaan, said that work has been done with the United Nations to formulate a national policy related to drugs, and an initial draft has now been prepared. However, the Minister also stated that the draft prepared with that organization is based solely on international standards. The Minister said that changes need to be made to that draft, taking into account the extent of the drug situation in the Maldives and the types of drugs used in the country. He added that this work is currently ongoing and that the necessary information is being gathered from police stations established in the islands.
The Home Minister said that they are currently working to complete the formulation of the national policy related to drugs before the 30th of next month. The government began a pilot study last July to identify the types of drugs used in the Maldives and to understand the situation. This is a study decided to be carried out to gather information on understanding the situation and how to structure the treatment system. The government continues to give high priority to carrying out robust work against drugs.
