President Mirziyoyev signed a decree stepping up the fight against drug addiction and organized drug crime. The decree has approved National Strategy for Combating Drug Addiction and Drug Crimes 2028. A number of unprecedented steps will be implemented, including up to 20 years of imprisonment for illicit drug trafficking.

Harsher penalties will apply to individuals involved in organizing drug trafficking chains, drugs online sale, creating and operating drug laboratories, as well as to officials who patronize such activities.

Involvement of minors in drug use, especially in school, shall be punishable by up to 10 years of imprisonment, and the sale of potent substances in schools, colleges, and children's camps will be punished with twice the prison sentence.

A new section has been inserted into the Criminal Code – "Crimes against public health and the nation's gene pool." Other steps include up to 15-day administrative arrest for public drug use in and a ban on parole for certain categories of drug offenders.

A National Interdepartmental Coordination Working Group has been set up under the President's administration for systematic control and coordination of actions. It has been tasked with strict oversight over implementation of the National Program of Comprehensive Steps to Combat Drug Addiction for 2025–2026.

Furthermore, government bodies have been given directives to implement digital technologies for controlling the circulation of precursors, to hold a hackathon among young people to create IT solutions for identifying internet resources related to drug distribution, and to encourage citizens who contribute to the detection of such crimes.

The decree emphasized that the new system should become not just a toughening of punishments, but an effective tool for protecting the health of the nation and the future of its youth.