The head of the Lithuanian police, Renatas Požėla, told the country’s public broadcaster LRT TV that the number of juveniles suspected of drug-related offenses was rising across the country.

She added that minors are not only using drugs at school but in some cases, selling them to their peers.

The government is now planning to provide schools with standardized procedures for detecting and managing drug-related incidents. Until now, individual schools and municipalities were left to handle the issue on their own.

Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė said that the new plan will focus on three key areas: “Identify, respond and assist according to a common algorithm of action.”

Authorities have already launched a pilot program in seven schools across the country. This includes a gymnasium in Alytus, southern Lithuania, where students are under increased surveillance for drug use and smoking.

Daiva Sabaliauskienė, the principal of the school, said that enhanced security measures, including particle detectors, have already confirmed student possession of electronic cigarettes and possibly psychotropic substances.

Alongside the government’s pilot program, a national drug prevention campaign has been launched to combat drug use in schools. An anonymous hotline was also set up, already generating over 300 tips and leading to 30 pre-trial investigations since February.