20.03.2012
Russian parliamentarians and experts support the proposal of the Federal Service for Drug Control of the Russian Federation to criminalize drug abuse. However, some of them believe that the bill still requires modifications. Federal Drug Control Service (FDCS) has prepared a document toughening responsibilities for the drug abuse up to two years of imprisonment or forced labor. Currently under the Russian Federation’s Code on Administrative Violations, drug abuse is punished by a fee of 4,000 to 5,000 rubles or administrative arrest for up to 15 days.
The defendants will be entitled to exemption from criminal liability if they have not committed serious crimes before, and if they voluntarily go through the "medical and social rehabilitation." In addition the court will appoint a compulsory treatment and rehabilitation for drug addicts that are involved in criminal and administrative cases.
Administration of FDCS also supports rehabilitation of drug addicts in the agricultural operations; medical examination of everybody buying drugs that contain methylmorphine from pharmacies to identify people who use desomorphine; drug testings in schools during the annual medical examination. FDCS also thinks that therapy that involves methadone on opiate drug addicts is not effective even though it is used in dozens of countries around the world. According to the Federal Drug Control Service this method is not "clinically confirmed as positive."
According to the UN, Russia has 2.5 million drug addicts and 5.1 million regular drug users. Thus, Russia ranked first in the world in consumption of heroin, accounting for 21% of all of the world's heroin and 5% of all other opiates.
