Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov chaired a meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission for the Prevention of Offences, with the participation of the ministers of internal affairs, health, education, and culture and information.
According to the government press service, also present at the meeting were the akims of the regions and the cities of Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent, as well as representatives of the Prosecutor General's Office, the National Security Committee, and the Agency for Financial Monitoring.
The meeting reviewed measures to combat drug crime and alcoholism, and examined the effectiveness of work on preventing offences in the sphere of family and domestic relations.
Minister of Internal Affairs Yerzhan Sadenov reported that over six months, police seized 6.4 tonnes of drugs, blocked over 17,000 drug-related websites, and detained 474 drug criminals, including 28 administrators of Telegram channels.
"21 criminal cases have been opened against organised criminal groups, three of which are transnational. Over 11,000 anti-drug operations have been conducted. In addition, during the reporting period, 107,000 instances of drinking alcohol in public places and 7,000 violations in the sphere of alcohol trafficking were suppressed. 11,000 people have been banned from consuming alcoholic beverages," Sadenov reported.
In turn, Minister of Health Akmaral Alnazarova stated that currently over 17,000 drug addicts are registered for outpatient care. She noted that over the past five years, the number of opioid addicts has decreased by 1.5 times, while the number of patients with addiction to synthetic stimulants and combined drug use has increased.
"Since the end of 2024, consultative observation has been introduced for people with harmful consumption without dependence syndrome, covering about 3,000 people. Addiction treatment is provided in 20 regional mental health centres, 79 city and 205 district offices, and the Republican Scientific and Practical Centre for Mental Health also operates. At the primary healthcare level, 94 youth health centres are functioning, which were visited by over 700,000 people in 2024. In 2025, new methodological guidelines were approved to enhance the effectiveness of treatment," the report states.
The Prime Minister emphasised that, despite the efforts of law enforcement agencies, the problem of drug addiction persists, especially among young people.
"A dangerous trend that worries the whole of society is the spread of drug addiction among young people. Unfortunately, it is gaining ever greater momentum. The situation is complicated by new methods of distribution – via the internet, postal items, 'stashes', and anonymous electronic payments. All this eliminates physical contact between the 'drug dealer, seller, and consumer'. Therefore, it is now much more difficult to catch the distributors," noted Bektenov.
The head of government instructed that measures be taken to improve the mechanisms for identifying and blocking drug-related websites, as well as to explore issues of blocking money transfers related to drug trafficking.
Special attention was paid to work on identifying and treating drug addiction, strengthening control over the dispensing of addictive pharmacy drugs, and creating rehabilitation infrastructure, including for minors.
As part of the fight against alcoholism, Olzhas Bektenov instructed the expansion of the 'sober settlements' movement. Currently, the number of villages that have refused to consume alcohol and sell spirits in shops is over 400.
It is noted that currently, more than half of murders, one in three cases of hooliganism, and one in four robberies are committed while under the influence of alcohol.