NCJ Number
125090
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 57 Issue: 8 Dated: (August 1990) Pages: 22,24,26,28
Date Published
1990
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Drug abuse in the Soviet Union has become a serious social factor, and Soviet efforts to prevent drug abuse generally encompass demand reduction and enforcement efforts.
Abstract
There are an estimated 130,000 persons in the Soviet Union who abuse drugs. About 25,000 to 30,000 drug-related criminal cases are solved annually, and approximately 25 to 30 tons of drugs and raw materials for their production are seized. Experts in many regions, however, believe that the actual figures are two to three times higher. These trends, along with the growing level of concern among Soviet citizens, form the basis for the Soviet's offensive against drugs. Soviet officials believe that the main factors contributing to the rise of drug abuse include the following: moral destruction in society, shortage of accurate and convincing information on lethal and irreversible dangers of "fashionable" drug use, absence of a uniform antidrug public opinion, relative availability of drugs, and absence of a statewide system to prevent drug abuse. Soviet efforts to control drug abuse generally fall into one of two areas: (1) demand reduction, focusing heavily on both preventive measures and the identification and treatment of persons using drugs for nonmedical purposes; and (2) enforcement efforts, aimed not only at illicit drug trafficking and the eradication of illegally cultivated narcotic plants but also at improved control over the legitimate production and marketing of narcotic medicines and psychotropic substances. The role of society, the medical profession, the legal system, and the government in drug abuse treatment and prevention is discussed, as well as the importance of international cooperation.