U.S. State Department of States published annual Report “International Narcotics Control Strategy”.  The document reviews the situation in 70 countries around the world, including Georgia.

Chapter of the document with respect to Georgia reads as follows:

“Georgia’s location along traditional smuggling routes in the Caucuses leaves it vulnerable to transnational criminal organizations that continue to traffic opium, heroin, and the main precursor chemical used to produce heroin, acetic anhydride. In April 2018, 15 metric tons of acetic anhydride were seized at Georgia’s port of Poti on the Black Sea – one of the largest seizures in history. The chemicals originated in China and were destined for Afghanistan to process heroin. Despite record high opium production in Afghanistan, drug seizures in Georgia have declined since 2016.

The Georgian government and non-governmental organizations report substantial drug and substance abuse challenges with an estimated 50,000 illicit drug users in the country. Synthetic and “club” drugs remain the most popular, particularly with the younger generation. April 2018 police raids on two popular Georgian nightclubs led to riots in Tbilisi. Thousands protested the raids as excessive abuses of authority and urged authorities to introduce less strict drug policies. Georgian authorities expressed concern that this type of citizen response may hinder future drug operations for fear of reprisal. July 2018, Georgia legalized the cultivation and production of cannabis for medical purposes and decriminalized its personal use. There is insufficient evidence to evaluate whether this will affect the consumption, sale, and transit of other illicit drugs.

The Government of Georgia actively cooperates with a wide range of actors to combat drug trafficking and consumption and to develop comprehensive responses to drug dependency. These partners include civil society, academia, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and other international organizations, regional partner states, and the European Union.

The United States continues to support Georgia’s fight against crime and illicit drug use and trafficking. Georgia Minister of Internal Affairs Giorgi Gakharia met with the acting administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on July 25, 2018, and both parties affirmed their commitment to bilateral relations and combating drug trafficking in Georgia and the Caucasus region”.