{"id":4088,"date":"2026-01-06T17:20:48","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T17:20:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/?p=4088"},"modified":"2026-01-07T18:14:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T18:14:59","slug":"the-fight-against-drugs-a-shared-national-responsibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/2026\/01\/06\/the-fight-against-drugs-a-shared-national-responsibility\/","title":{"rendered":"The fight against drugs: A shared national responsibility"},"content":{"rendered":"

The scourge of drugs and addiction constitutes a national threat primarily targeting youth, now requiring an anticipatory, preventive and security-based approach founded on intersectoral coordination. This is what Brahim Boughali, president of the People\u2019s National Assembly (APN), stated this Tuesday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr. Boughali affirmed that \u201cthe phenomenon of drugs and addiction can no longer be considered a simple health or social issue, but now constitutes an overall national threat,\u201d with security, legal, social and health ramifications, directly targeting Algerian youth, \u201cthe pillar of the present and the foundation of the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

This position was expressed in a speech read on his behalf by Ahmed Mouaz, vice\u2011president of the APN, at the opening of the parliamentary day entitled \u201cPreventing the danger of drugs on society and addressing addiction,\u201d organized by the committee on youth, sports and associative activity, in the presence of academics, experts and specialists.<\/p>\n

The president of the APN welcomed the choice of the theme of this parliamentary meeting, considering that it is \u201ca vital subject, reflecting genuine awareness on the part of the representatives of the nation of the scale of the challenges facing Algerian society, particularly its youth.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stressed that this day is being held in \u201ca national, regional and international context marked by growing complexity,\u201d in which societies are confronted with threats affecting their social cohesion, health security and overall stability, noting that \u201cdrugs have become a cross\u2011border phenomenon, with evolving methods of operation, deeply linked to economic, social and cultural transformations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Boughali was keen to warn against addiction turning into \u201ca complex national challenge,\u201d stating that \u201cAlgeria is no longer confronted with simple deviant individual behaviors, but with an attempt at destabilization targeting youth and the cohesion of the State.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that \u201ccertain networks are seeking to move Algeria from the status of a transit zone to that of a consumption zone, by exploiting its strategic geographical position and the extent of its borders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drawing on studies and research conducted among young people, the president of the APN explained that \u201caddiction reveals major structural imbalances in the relationship between the individual, society and the State,\u201d emphasizing that these findings \u201cdemonstrate the limits of certain public policies and require a comprehensive approach that goes beyond traditional security responses.\u201d<\/p>\n

============Prevention, a central pillar of the national strategy<\/p>\n

He recalled that \u201caddiction is a chronic, multidimensional disease, with intertwined psychological, social and economic causes,\u201d whose effects impact the family, the school and the cultural environment, warning that \u201cany policy that ignores this complexity remains partial and of limited impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the social level, Mr. Boughali considered that \u201cthe spread of addiction reflects the fragility of certain social structures,\u201d highlighting the relevance of \u201cplacing prevention back at the heart of public policies, restoring trust between young people and institutions, and strengthening the values of citizenship and national belonging.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, the president of the APN recalled that \u201cthe Algerian legislator became aware very early of the seriousness of the phenomenon,\u201d by putting in place a legal framework criminalizing the trafficking, promotion and possession of drugs, while tightening penalties against criminal networks.<\/p>\n

He nevertheless stressed that \u201cthe rapid changes in the phenomenon require continuous revision of the legal texts,\u201d in order to guarantee a balance between criminal deterrence and the protection of public health, between punishment and reintegration, advocating \u201cthe expansion of alternative sentences and an enhanced role for judges in directing users toward treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Mr. Boughali paid tribute to the efforts of the security services, stating that \u201cthe People\u2019s National Army and the various security forces are carrying out considerable work in securing the borders and dismantling criminal networks.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, he pointed out that \u201cthe nature of the danger requires an anticipatory security approach, based on intelligence, institutional coordination and strengthened regional and international cooperation,\u201d particularly in view of the interconnection between drugs and organized crime.<\/p>\n

The president of the APN reaffirmed that \u201cprevention remains the real strategic stake,\u201d calling for \u201cthe integration of health and psychological education into the education system, the generalization of psychological support in schools and universities, as well as the provision of genuine cultural and sports facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also called for \u201ca scientific, responsible and ethical media discourse,\u201d while stressing that \u201ctreatment and reintegration must constitute an inseparable pillar of public health and social protection policies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Boughali recalled that \u201cthe mission of MPs is not limited to legislation,\u201d but also includes \u201cmonitoring government action, assessing the effectiveness of public policies and strengthening intersectoral coordination.\u201d He assured that \u201ccooperation between Parliament, universities, civil society and experts has become a strategic necessity.\u201d<\/p>\n

In conclusion, the president of the APN maintained that \u201cthe fight against drugs is a major test of the effectiveness of social policies,\u201d but also \u201ca national, ethical and legal challenge that requires collective will, evolving laws and policies based on prevention, treatment and reintegration.\u201d He also reiterated \u201cParliament\u2019s commitment to continuing to improve the legislative framework, strengthen parliamentary oversight and support all initiatives aimed at building a cohesive Algerian society, protected by values, enlightened by knowledge and governed by the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The scourge of drugs and addiction constitutes a national threat primarily targeting youth, now requiring an anticipatory, preventive and security-based approach founded on intersectoral coordination. This is what Brahim Boughali, president of the People\u2019s National Assembly (APN), stated this Tuesday. Mr. Boughali affirmed that \u201cthe phenomenon of drugs and addiction can no longer be considered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[247],"class_list":["post-4088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-domestic","tag-drugs"],"byline":"Sihem Bounabi.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4088"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4088\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4099,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4088\/revisions\/4099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jeune-independant.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}