Turkey spent the past week with drug debates. On the issue that created a polemic between the leaders of the opposition and the ministers of power, with the report titled “The Methamphetamine; The Situation in Turkey and the World” of General Directorate of Security, Department of Combating Narcotic Crimes, the threat posed by the drug type was revealed in all its reality.
In the report, it was stated that methamphetamine was first seen in Turkey in an operation carried out in Istanbul in 2009, while it was recorded that it spread to 81 provinces in 2020 and 2021.
In the report, "Methhamphetamine, which has been seen on the streets of 81 cities in 2021 with an increasing momentum since it was first seen in our country in 2009, and which confronts us as an important threat to all segments of society, especially the youth, will continue to be an important issue in the coming period, both in our country and in the world. Caught on the streets of 54 cities in 2015 Methamphetamine was seen in 81 provinces in 2020 and 2021,” the report said.
SERIOUS INCREASE IN THE LAST THREE YEARS
While it is stated that the amount of methamphetamine seizures increased each year in the 2016-2021 period, “1,042 kilograms of methamphetamine was seized in 2019. The sharpest increase was experienced in 2020, and the amount of methamphetamine seizures increased fourfold compared to the previous year and reached 4,168 kg. In 2021, the amount of methamphetamine seized was 5,528 kg. The amount of methamphetamine seized in the first seven months of 2022 reached 8,600 kg. This seizure data is an indication that methamphetamine will remain a threat in the coming period,” the report added.
MET-RELATED DEATHS INCREASED AFTER 2017
While it is stated that methamphetamine, the use of which is increasing in the world, is increasing rapidly in Turkey as well, the increase in the incidence of methamphetamine in drug-related deaths over the years is accepted as an important problem for Turkey. In the report, “In 2017, the highest rate of overdose deaths was 941 in our country, the rate of methamphetamine incidence was 7,8 percent, while this rate was 46,3 percent in 2021, when 270 deaths occurred. Deaths from methamphetamine alone increased from 3 per thousand in 2017 to 38,3 percent in 2021,” the report said.
SOCIETY'S SUPPORT IS IMPORTANT
The following warnings were included in the evaluations made in the conclusion of the report: “The rate of those who live alone, divorced and married when they try the first substance is higher among methamphetamine users than those who use other substances. Likewise, the rate of those who say ‘domestic problems’ as the reason for starting and ‘my family relations have deteriorated’ during the usage period is very high. Again, the high rates of 'violence between parents' and 'violence in the family' compared to other drug users raise the question of whether there is a relationship between unhealthy family structure and methamphetamine use. The support of the community is important in the area of fight against drugs, as well as on every platform,” the report added.