Russia defies growing consensus with declaration of 'Total War on Drugs'

Under new laws being drawn up addicts would be forced into treatment or jailed, and dealers 'treated like serial killers'
The Guardian (UK)
Wednesday, June 8, 2011

"Sending more people to prison will not reduce drug addiction or improve public health," said Anya Sarang, president of the Andrey Rylkov Foundation, an advocacy group for people with HIV which works with injecting drug users (IDUs). "Russian prisons are terrible places full of HIV, tuberculosis and other diseases. Drugs are often even more accessible there than anywhere else." She added: "What we need instead of this harsh drug control rhetoric is greater emphasis on rehabilitation, substitution treatment, case management for drug users and protection from HIV."