Transcript from a policy on illegal drugs to a policy on psychoactive substances

Russia Federation, 2010-2014:
from a policy on illegal drugs to
a policy on psychoactive
substances
Dr. Konstantin Kharabet, professor of criminal law and criminology, Military
Universaty (RF), advocate
• alcohol, which abuse leads to drunkenness and a
disease of alcoholism (1);
• drugs and psychotropic substances which abuse leads
to drug addiction (2);
• substances which abuse leads to toxicomania (3);
• tobacco (4).
• Сonsuming (use) by society of drugs, alcohol, tobacco in
communicative, religious, medical, hedonist and other purposes
is known and widely-spread since the pre-biblical times; society
always tried to restrict their consuming and trade, especially
illegal one.
• Abuse of all aforenamed substances is dangerous to health,
and also can lead to negative social consequences.
• Alcohol and tobacco are often provokers to stronger
psychoactive substances – drugs.
• Trafficking of drugs, alcohol, and in some cases – tobacco is a
vital economic issue in a number of the states and at the
international level.
• Consuming of psychoactive substances is a crime in the
majority of the states, and criminality, connected to their
consuming and also to drug trafficking, is a serious national,
regional and global problem.
1. Narcotization methods and structure of drugs changed; there is a steady
demand for new, much more prepotent drugs and psychotropic substances.
2. Cycling character of a narcotization of the population was succeeded by
the continuous growth of drug epidemic with blurring of age brackets and
socio-cultural boundaries of the population involved in the narcotic
subculture.
3. Due to the growth of episodic drug users (experimentators ) a huge
"reserve" (group of risk) for distribution of drugs was formed ( first of all,
distribution of cannabis and other psychoactive substances.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The social base for narkotism expansion over the last 10 years extended
and changed the characteristics, went beyond traditional struck groups of
drug users: nowadays the drug addiction extends both among low-income
people and thriving groups of population.
Specific character of a drug abuse situation - is that among addicts prevail
people of young age and teenagers.
Narkotism is traditionally much more widespread among men, but at the
same time, in the last 10-15 years excess incidence by drug addiction
among women is apparent.
The reasons for a drug use has significantly changed.
The greatest influence on a status and character of society narcotization
renders an increasing illicit supply of opiates and cannabis drugs from
Afghanistan; the avalanche-type supply of heroin is expected after 2014
(after troops pullout from Afghanistan).
:

healthy lifestyle promotion;

creation
of
the
barriers
interfering
access
to
various
psychoactive substances for children and the youth in all spheres
of their life;

ban on a civil circulation of new psychoactive substances that
appear on both legal and illegal markets;

to tighten the legislation and practice of criminal prosecution for
a drug trafficking, including smuggling;

the maximum ban of drug, alcohol, tobacco trafficking and
propaganda in all spheres of life, including their unjustified mention
in theatrical performances, cinema, mass media, Internet;

the general ban of
public drunkenness and tobacco smoking in
public and other equated places;

excise rise on alcohol and tobacco products;

policy (not always consecutive
– K.K.) focused on the
involvement of private and public organizations in the state
programs on formation of healthy lifestyle (for example, through the
Ministry of Education – concerning pupils and students, militarypatriotic projects, centers focused on moral upbringing, etc.);

creation of favorable and forcing
treatment and rehabilitation of the
alcohol, etc.
conditions for the voluntary
persons abusing drugs and