*From the school classroom to messenger: Almaty steps up fight against drug addiction among youth*

A press conference was held in the regional communications service on the issue of preventing drug addiction among youth within the framework of the "Law and Order" principle. At it, Nurlan Zhakypov reported on the results and plans of the "Narkostop" project. According to him, the main focus is on systematic work with adolescents and young people, and on strengthening the fight against the spread of drugs in the digital space.

Over the past years, the Narkostop project has shown its effectiveness. A lot of work has been done in educational institutions, the Internet space and in the city. Lectures were organized for pupils and students in schools, colleges and universities, cyber volunteers identified Internet resources distributing prohibited substances, and also took steps to remove graffiti with drug advertising in the city. Such a comprehensive approach has increased the level of information literacy of young people, reduced the availability of drugs, and allowed them to form a positive attitude towards this issue.

"Today, drug crime has changed. Previously, it was mainly distributed offline, but now it has moved to recruiting and selling people through messengers, websites, and closed channels. Many teenagers who have phones are falling for them," Nurzhan Zhakypov noted.

This year, the project plans to strengthen its preventive focus. The organizers plan to expand the coverage of schools and universities, increase the number of meetings, intensify monitoring of the Internet space, and continue work to eliminate visual advertising of drugs in the city. Now they will pay more attention to those who are attracting young people to this work under the guise of "easy money."

"Attracting young people to such dirty work is the most difficult problem now. They offer them a quick fix, but they never explain what the consequences will be. Our task is to convey to young people their responsibility before the law in a clear and understandable language," says the project leader.

The work of "Narkostop" is carried out in several directions. A professional lecturer of the project works with teenagers and students in educational organizations. The format of the meeting is not a mentoring one, but a dialogue, using real-life examples and discussing ways to attract people. In addition, cyber volunteers monitor the Internet, identify sites and resources with drug content, and send information to the authorized bodies to block them. Graffiti advertising drugs is also gradually being removed in the city, which will help reduce open advertising.

This year, it is planned to conduct a study among young people to determine the level of information literacy, attitudes to the problem and risk factors. Based on this data, preventive measures will be adjusted. In addition, the information and educational direction will be strengthened. Short educational videos for adolescents and young people will be prepared, which will tell about the consequences and mechanisms of their involvement in such work, legal responsibility and the consequences of synthetic drugs.

"We need to speak to young people in their language and work through the channels where they spend most of their time. Prevention should not be a one-time campaign, it should be ongoing, systematic, and based on real data," said Nurzhan Zhakypov.

Currently, the most vulnerable groups are adolescents aged 14–17 and young people aged 18–25. According to the speaker, synthetic drugs pose a particular threat, as they are quickly addictive and cause significant harm to health. Within the framework of the principle of "law and order", the "Narkostop" project aims to establish interaction with law enforcement agencies, narcological services and educational organizations, and to form a stable civic position among young people. The speaker noted that those who have such suspicions should immediately refer them to specialists and seek the help of experts who are at the forefront of this project.