Bridging the Gaps: Georgian Network of People who Use Drugs

Georgia is one of the countries with the harshest drug policies in the Eastern European and Central Asian region. In the same time, the country is host of strong, progressive grass-root movements which advocate for social change, civil rights and the end of the war on drugs. In a geopolitical landscape dominated by the Russian Federation, Georgia took steps which go against the regional trend, for instance in what concerns evidence-based harm reduction interventions which are still controversial in neighbouring countries. One example is opiate assisted therapy, which is now part of the national treatment system. Georgia endorses harm reduction interventions. While maintaining a hard line on drugs, Georgia has decriminalised the possession of cannabis.