"There are approximately 40,000 people who inject drugs in Georgia, but only 4,000 of them are covered by harm reduction services. OST [Opiate Substitution Treatment] and NSPs [Needle and Syringe Programs] are largely funded through Global Fund; they cover only a few regions and at best cover up to 10% of people in need78. The state budget of Georgia allocates just $700,000 for treatment programs for people who use drugs at the same time that $10.5 million per year is spent enforcing rigid drug criminalization policies (as noted previously in this report). The skewed priorities are extremely costly from a public health and budget perspective, as criminalizing people instead of supporting them in effective drug treatment not only costs more money but increases health risks."
Merkinaite, S. A war against people who use drugs: the costs. Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN): Vilnius, Lithuania, 2012.
