June 5, 1998 N 343

About the activity of the Transnational Radical Party's supporters in the State Duma

Dear colleagues:

As it is known, on December 10, 1997 the State Duma has adopted the Federal Law "On Narcotic Drugs And Psychotropic Substances" which has been signed by President of Russian Federation and entered in force on April 15, 1998. The law has been tabled by a group of State Duma members, who represented 4 factions of the State Duma: CPRF, Our Home Is Russia, LDPR, Russian Regions. There was nobody voted against the law and only two abstained.

During the last period, the activity against the above mentioned law is being intensified by numerous adherents of legalization of drugs, who are interested in spreading drugs in the country and defending the interests of drug traffickers and drug business by such a way. They mask their destructive activity under the flag of struggle for human rights.

Thus, materials of the Transnational Radical Party are easily being distributed in the State Duma. A number of deputies, who didn't contribute at least minimally into elaborating the law "On Narcotic Drugs And Psychotropic Substances", are now trying to defile it, kindle in the mass media a campaign to counter-act against this law. Currently Mr. Borscev, member of the State Duma from Jabloko faction, prepares in your name the inquiry to the Constitutional Court, putting this law under question.

On March 2, 1998 Health Care Committee organized special parliamentarian hearings "On urgent measures to combat drug addiction spread in Russian Federation", which gave to the members of the State Duma the possibility to familiarize the essence of the problem. The participants of the hearings adopted Recommendations, whose text is hereby enclosed. We are conducting a wide explanatory work in mass media about the harm caused by drugs. It is enough to mention for example the TV cast "Court is going on" shown by NTV on May 23, where we won the suit against legalizers of drugs.

I would like to address deputies, my colleagues calling them not to defy propagations of drug legalizers, no matter what kind of mask they wear. Act in accordance with reason and sense.

We vividly observe today the results of efforts undertaken by false campaigners for human rights, who abolished the responsibility for illegal drug use. Do we need really to get yet worse situation? We are convinced, that appeal to the Constitutional Court represents a miserable attempt to turn public opinion in favour of legalization. Don't rush to sign doubtful appeals.

Let us see, how the international community approaches this problem.

On June 8-10, United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) will examine the question "On struggle with illicit production, sale, demand, transporting and distribution of drugs and psychotropic substances ..." Russian Federation prepares its report for this session, where we will propose to the international community to resist decisively any attempt to legalize drugs on the international level, any attempt to withdraw the question of its use from the strongest medical control, to strive for intensification of UN activities to form in the world the climate of non-acceptance of drugs, especially in conditions of its direct or indirect popularization in mass media, which empowers day by day.

We are ready to inform deputies about decisions taken by that Assembly. I think, the examination of drug question on GA session will put the fullstops in many controversial questions and will allow legislators of all countries to make further steps in the field of legislations on drugs and resistance to their illicit traffic. It is you, who must choose: to live in a society for drugs, or in a drug-free society.

N. F. Gerasimenko,

president of the Health Care Committee

V. I. Davidenko,

vice president of the Health Care Committee

G. R. Askerhanov,

member of the State Duma