Church and state unite in struggle with drug addiction

The church-state seminar “Organization of rehabilitation of drug addicts in Volga federal district” will take place in Nizhniy Novgorod on March 27. The seminar will be held within the frames of the agreement between the Russian Orthodox Christian church and the state anti-drug committee. Ufa’s Metropolitanate will be presented by the head of the eparchial agency for struggle with drug addiction and work with alcoholics and drug addicts, archpriest Roman Tarasov, the official site of Ufa’s Metropolitanate reports.

Exchange of experience in sphere of anti-drug activity between priests of eparchies and metropolitanates, located on the territory of Volga federal district, and the leadership of the state anti-drug committee and territorial divisions of Russian Federal Drug Circulation Control Service is planned within the frames of the seminar.

The decision to unite the church and the state in struggle with drug addiction was made not by chance. In April 2011 the President of the country Dmitry Medvedev ordered to organize the system of medical-social aid for people, who passed treatment from drug dependency, with attraction of non-state rehabilitation centers. The lion’s share of such non-state centers (about 60) was established by the Russian Orthodox Church, so it was chosen as one of the strategic partners in this direction.