Minister Kamp wants preventive drug tests to be carried out in the armed forces. The Ministry of Defense confirms a report about this in De Telegraaf. Last week were fourteen soldiers arrested in Curaçao because of the possession and use of drugs and the outgoing minister was shocked by this.
Kamp now wants Defense to test in advance. He emphasizes that a zero-tolerance policy applies to drugs: “Drug use endangers the deployability of our troops and damages confidence in the armed forces.” The use of drugs is subject to dismissal.
Responsibility to colleagues
The minister considers preventive testing important, “because soldiers can always be deployed and then perform risky work under often difficult circumstances”. They also have a great responsibility towards their colleagues, he emphasizes,
According to Kamp, preventive testing is already legally possible, but the measure still has to be worked out legally. The minister says that he cannot confirm that drug use is high in the Ministry of Defense, as some say: “Anyone who claims this must be able to substantiate it. But it is certain that drug use is a social problem that also affects the armed forces.”
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