Double punishment for drug crimes

  • 2000-03-16
TALLINN (BNS) - A youth roundtable in Tallinn is going to propose to the municipal government to designate the capital city's schools narcotics-free areas.

A narcotics-free area would mean that possession, sale and use of drugs there would carry a double punishment, the head of the roundtable, Keit Pentus, said.

Students participating in the roundtable believe that such a step would help keep drug dealers out of schools and that the depressingly wide spread of narcotics in schools is largely due to a feeling of impunity, he added.

"If dealers were threatened by a double punishment [for pushing drugs] in the territory of schools it would make them think twice whether it's worth it to come to a school with a packet of tablets or a pouch of hashish," Pentus said.

He said implementation of the proposal depends on the government, municipality, school leaders and the police drug squad's willingness to cooperate.

"Students have expressed their desire to improve the situation, the ball is now in the politicians' and school leaders' court," said Pentus who sits on the Tallinn City Council.

The municipal government's drug addiction and alcoholism prevention committee approved at its last meeting the roundtable's proposal to introduce in Tallinn schools' curricula courses on drug abuse.

The roundtable was first convened last September at the initiative of Tallinn's young reformists' club. Its participants come from 15 schools of the capital city.