Home / Information / Beljak: HDZ members are addicted to power; HDZ: We are just waiting for you to announce that Radić smoked marijuana

Beljak: HDZ members are addicted to power; HDZ: We are just waiting for you to announce that Radić smoked marijuana

The parliamentary debate on the National Strategy and Action Plan for Combating Drug Abuse in 2016 on Tuesday quickly shifted to a political track, as HSS leader Krešo Beljak, calling for the legalization of cannabis, diagnosed HDZ members as being addicted to power, to which members of that party responded that they are just waiting for him to announce that Stjepan Radić also smoked marijuana.

– In terms of cannabis use, Croatia is on par with the vast majority of EU countries. Do you think tourism in Amsterdam is developed because it is a beautiful city? No! For another reason. A large number of Croats go there instead of the Dutch coming here, said Beljak, a proponent of marijuana legalization.

He was also curious about how many people died from cannabis overdoses, asking how many died last year from alcohol overdoses, which, he reminds, is completely legal.

>>>Beljak: It is a public secret that family farms grow marijuana, we need to consider legalization

HDZ’s Ivan Ćelić told Beljak that he is stealing ideas from the Living Wall.

– Hopefully, during the debate, we will find out that Stjepan Radić also smoked marijuana, Ćelić pointed out, who as a psychiatrist explained that marijuana has a more destructive effect on the brain of a young person than heroin.

– Although the topic is drugs, in our homeland, the biggest addiction is to power, especially among HDZ members. You were addicted to Dr. Ivo Sanader, then to Jadranka Kosor, today to Andrej Plenković, and tomorrow to someone new. That is the biggest problem! Unfortunately, there is no cure for you, Beljak replied to the HDZ members.

Psychiatrist Ćelić: Beljak has become an expert on addictions and detoxification from HSS values

Ćelić ironically told him that he has become an expert on addictions and detoxification from HSS values.

– Beljak has shown that he is an expert on addictions because more and more prominent members of HSS are leaving. He is an expert on detoxification from the true traditional values of HSS, so perhaps that will be the new diagnosis in some new diagnostic manual, he said.

>>>Josić: Marijuana will be legalized sooner or later, those who do it first will profit

The parliamentary squabble was also joined by chairman Milijan Brkić (HDZ), who ultimately called for a return to the topic.

Brkić to colleague Ćelić: Beljak is not in your office, but you are in Parliament

– Since you are an expert on addiction, you are competent, but I ask you not to speak off-topic. Colleague Beljak is not in your office, but you are in Parliament, Brkić told his party colleague.

However, Beljak continued on the political track.

– Leave HSS alone because you can learn from us and your first president referred to Radić. We, as Christians, forgive you. Whoever throws a stone at you, we will throw bread at him, and you with your UDBA methods continue to destroy not only HSS but also other parties, Beljak told the HDZ members.

Jovanović: The decrease in the number of treated addicts is not a good indicator as the amount of drugs is constantly increasing

SDP member Željko Jovanović referred to the number of treated addicts, which has been decreasing year after year.

– In 2016, 7,106 people were treated, while the previous year 7,533, which is 427 fewer, and this trend has been ongoing for several years. In my opinion, this is not a good indicator, as I believe that if the amount of drugs being seized is constantly increasing, we are above average in terms of smoking, alcohol, and other addictive substances, while at the same time the number of treated addicts is falling, he pointed out.

Why is the number of treated addicts falling when it should actually be rising, Jovanović asked, to which the state secretary in the Ministry of Health Tomislav Dulibić replied that the number of those treated for opioid addiction is falling, and thus the number of treated addicts is also falling.

>>>Living Wall: Legalize up to six cannabis plants for recreation

According to the report on the implementation of the National Strategy and Action Plan for Combating Drug Abuse in Croatia, the total specified public expenditures in the area of combating drug abuse in state and county budgets, as well as in the financial plans of public bodies and civil society organizations in 2016 amounted to 125.3 million kuna, which represents an increase of 5.5 percent compared to 2015.

Of the total treated in 2016, 83.8 percent were using opioids, 16.2 percent were treated for use and addiction to other psychoactive substances, 10.4 percent were treated for cannabis addiction, and 3.6 percent indicated stimulants and cocaine as their main drug, which is an increase of 0.4 percent.

Petrijevčanin Vuksanović: New psychoactive substances are available

HDZ’s Irena Petrijevčanin Vuksanović warned about the problem of new psychoactive substances.

– Large quantities of attractive synthetic cannabinoid tablets are imported from China every month, and children start online shopping as early as 13 years old, she said.

>>>Uruguay is the first nation with recreational cannabis in pharmacies

– Our problem is not only China but also the fact that laboratories for the production of synthetic drugs are in EU countries, Ćelić added.

SDP’s Nenad Stazić advocated for the introduction of a mandatory health education subject in schools that would address addiction, not only to drugs but also to the internet, social networks…

– As a society, we do not pay enough attention to education, Stazić concluded.