On September 23, 2025, representatives of the Criminal Police Directorate at the General Police Directorate held an expert panel on the issue of illicit drugs. The aim of the panel was to overcome stereotypes and traditional frameworks for understanding addiction and to open space for dialogue based on reducing stigma and the inter-institutional search for comprehensive solutions.
The panel, which included a screening of a documentary film about addiction, was primarily intended for criminal investigators and police officers, but also for the general public. The goal of the panel was to bring together expert views from various fields – police, judiciary, healthcare, social, and art.
In the first part, the participants watched Jan Cvitkovič's documentary entitled Gram of Heart (Gram srca). The documentary presents personal stories of people with experience of addiction and offers a valuable insight into the human dimension of addiction. It does not merely show the consequences of drug use, but opens the door into everyday lives of individuals who are often excluded from society. In doing so, it reveals the complexity of the circumstances that led to their downfall into addiction and emphasizes the need to understand their situation. The film won the grand prix for best film at the Independent Film Festival in Ljubljana and will be screened at a world premiere in Madrid in October.
The panel was moderated by Mišo Radovančevič, head of the Illicit Drugs Sections at the General Police Directorate. He emphasized that the panel was an attempt to move from stigma to understanding: "This benefits not only the people with addiction, but also the police that can do their work more effectively and humanely as a result."
The second part of the panel built on the ideas presented in the film with a panel discussion with the film director and experts who work with this issue professionally (representatives of the criminal police, the National Institute of Public Health, the Centre for the Treatment of Addiction to Illegal Drugs at the University Psychiatric Clinic in Ljubljana, the District Court, the Professional Centre for the treatment of children and adolescents with emotional and behavioural problems and disorders, a representative of the Safe Room programme in Nova Gorica, etc.) The panellists highlighted various aspects and dilemmas they encounter in their daily work: from court proceedings and medical treatment to social programmes and direct police work in the field.
