Webinar: COVID-19 and drugs in the European neighborhood. Lessons learned from Ukraine and Georgia
Channel: EU Drugs Agency (EMCDDA)
Date: 2021-04-29

Objective: 
- To present results from studies carried out to collect insights from people who use drugs and service providers on how COVID-19 control measures have affected their lives, as well as the drug market
- To discuss how some of the changes observed are worth becoming a ‘new normal’

Background:
In April 2020, in the framework of the EU4Monitoring Drugs (EU4MD) project, two research teams launched a 6-month long cohort study among people who use drugs in Georgia and Ukraine. The aim was to document how the COVID-19 lockdown measures may impact their social-economic status, drug use behaviour as well as access to drug-related health services. The research team also gathered information from selected key stakeholders. In Georgia, a daily monitoring of drug sales on Matanga, a largest website on darknet, was also performed.

Speakers:
- Dr Tetiana Kiriazova, Senior research scientist, Ukrainian Institute of Public Health Policy, Ukraine Methodology of the cohort study
- Dr David Otiashvili, Director, Addiction Research Center ‘Alternative Georgia’; Associate professor of healthcare, Ilia State University, Georgia

Discussants:
- Ms Kateryna Terykh, a Specialist of the Viral Hepatitis and Opioid Dependency Department and the OST national coordinator, Public Health Center of the MOH of Ukraine
- Ms Ketevan Sarajishvili, Chairperson of National Drug Observatory, Ministry of Justice Georgia
- Mr Julien Morel d’Arleux, Director, French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT)

Chair: Ilze Jekabsone, EU4Monitoring Drugs project coordinator, EMCDDA
Opening and closing remarks: Alexis Goosdeel, EMCDDA Director

Date and time: 25 March 11.30-13.00 (WET/Lisbon) 12.30-14.00 (CET/Brussels)