Millions of people in Russian suffer from drug addictions, but the authorities prefer to arrest them rather than support awareness-raising programs. One NGO is trying to help.
Last week, a Russian group in Saratov, that for three decades has helped people living with diabetes, announced it was shutting down. According to the group’s leader, Larisa Saygina, its board members are “no longer willing to be involved in public/social activities.” That’s hardly surprising once you know the backstory.
Andrey Rylkov Foundation for Health and Social Justice (ARF) was recently fined in the amount of 800 000 RUB (which is an equivalent of 12 000 USD) for “propaganda of narcotic drugs
"Sir Nicholas Clegg remembers something strange about his time in the UK government. From 2010, when he became deputy prime minister under David Cameron, Sir Nicholas began to speak with his fellow MPs about the country’s approach to illegal drugs and noticed an alarming disconnect between science and politics, evidence and emotion...."
The European Court of Human Rights has communicated a complaint from the Andrey Rylkov Foundation helping drug addicts. Six years ago, the Russian Federal Drug Control Service found appeals for drug use on their website and banned it.