What the US State Department Report on Drug and Chemical Control Activities Says

The new 2011 Report on Georgia is comprised by 4 sections and some of the subsections. First the report describes that Georgia produces no narcotic drugs but for its location bridging Asia and Europe, Georgia is becoming a major transit corridor for drugs of abuse produced elsewhere.

The report mentions that visa free travel agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran can lead to more drugs flow. In 2010 Georgia signed this agreement with Iran. Consequently concerns follow if appropriate inspections and checks are not instituted and enforced; this agreement could lead to still more drugs entering Georgia: “This seems likely as up to 40 percent of Afghan opiates pass through Iran. Smuggling of these opiates is a problem now along all of Iran’s borders to the South, West and North, so there is good reason to fear that easier passage between Iran and Georgia could invite traffickers to try the “new” route”.

Speculation on drugs flow through the separatists territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia described in the introduction section. The report outlines that this information cannot be verified as these territories are beyond the control of Georgian law enforcement and there is little or no exchange of information on drug trafficking between the Russian occupying forces or the de facto governments of these territories and the Government of Georgia.

5 main drugs: heroin, Subutex, methadone and marijuana availability revealed on the domestic market. Subutex is a trade name for buprenorphine, produced throughout Europe, and used for the treatment of opiate addiction. This substance is not a registered medication in Georgia and thus has no legally availability basis.

Inaccuracy in price figures are stated in Supply Reduction section: “drugs generally, and opioid drugs in particular, are extremely expensive in Georgia. According to the information provided by the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2010, street prices are $600-$700 per gram for heroin, opium is $27-$45 per gram, and Subutex is $300 per 8 mg pill. However, some of these prices do not fully correspond with those reported to physicians, by street-level narcotics dealers and their drug-using clients. There is also wide variation in drug prices across borders. Local sources report that pure heroin purchased in Turkey from Chechen, Kurdish or Turkish drug dealers is available for $40-$50 per gram”.

For more and full report see http://drugpolicy.dsl.ge/eng/usreporten.htm#Report

Drug Policy Georgia