site.btaSchool Principals to Have Access to Register of Drug Dealers

The idea to give school principals access to an electronic register of drug dealers in Bulgaria so that they can perform checks if needed, was discussed at a regular meeting of the coordination mechanism for combating drug import, production and distribution in Bulgaria. Participating in the meeting were Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov and e-Government Minister Alexander Yolovski, the Government Information Service said Thursday.

Yolovski said that all registers related to the topic of drugs can be prioritized for electronization. Under recently adopted amendments to the Electronic Governance Act, administrative bodies have until March 31, 2025 to make electronic the registers they keep. To that end, a schedule will be elaborated and adopted by Council of Ministers decree until October 2023, he explained.

The State will encourage parents, teachers, and pupils to submit anonymous alerts about drug use or distribution in school. It is yet to be determined how the alerts will be submitted: on the 116 111 national children's hotline administered by the State Agency for Child Protection, on a special mobile application, or on a separate email address.

Experts of the Interior Ministry have developed a project for a national campaign on preventing drug distribution and use among adolescents in 2023 and 2024.