GLOBAL DAYS AGAINST THE DRUG WAR HAVE BEEN OPENED.

IN MOSCOW ON MONDAY DEMONSTRATION AT THE U.N. MISSION, ON TUESDAY ANTIPROHIBITIONIST RALLY ON PUSHKIN SQUARE, ON WEDNESDAY "STREET REFERENDUM" ON DRUGS.

MEANWHILE, ALREADY 17 MEMBERS OF THE STATE DUMA SIGNED THE INQUIRY TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT INITIATED BY RADICAL PARTY REGARDING THE NEW FEDERAL ANTI-DRUG LAW.

Moscow, June 6, 1998. The "Global Days against the Drug War" have been opened yesterday by press conference of the Radical Party in the National Press Institute. This initiative organized by the "Global Coalition for Alternatives to the Drug War", which unites about one hundred of NGOs, including Transnational Radical Party. The initiative is being conducted simultaneously with United Nations General Assembly Special Session on drugs. The aim of the Global Days against the Drug War is to draw public attention to the evident failure of the prohibitionist policy of "war on drugs" on the global level - a policy which causes more harm than drugs themselves - and to the necessity to pass from ritual incantations about creating "a drug-free world" to the pragmatic measures able to reduce harm caused by illicit substances' abuse here and now.

The events in the framework of the Global Days against the Drug War will be held in more than 50 cities of the world. On June 5 and 6 in Paris, in the building of the National Assembly, is being held the 9th Congress of CORA (Radical Antiprohibitionist Coordination) - an international organization of European antiprohibitionists, a federated member of the Transnational Radical Party. The congress' motto is: "Prohibitionism on drugs is a crime".

On the yesterday's press conference in the National Press Institute have spoken Nikolaj KHRAMOV, coordinator of the Radical Party in Russia; Julij RYBAKOV, Radical member and antiprohibitionist deputy of the State Duma; as well as Radical activists Lev LEVINSON and Kirill SHULIKA. They informed journalists not only about events scheduled in Moscow in the framework of the Global Days against the Drug War, but also about the inquiry to the Constitutional Court initiated in the State Duma by members of the Radical Party regarding a number of positions of the Federal Law "On Narcotic Drugs And Psychotropic Substances" entered in force on April 15, this year. This inquiry is already signed by 17 parliamentarians from very different political groups: Valerij BORSCEV (Jabloko), Galina STAROVOJTOVA (independent), Sergej MITROHIN (Jabloko), Igor LUKASHEV (Jabloko), Arkadij JANKOVSKIJ (Russian Regions), Viktor KUROCHKIN (Russian Regions), Vladimir BUTKEEV (Russian Regions), Boris MOISEEV (Jabloko), Sergej KOVALEV (ind

ependent), Gennadij BURBULIS (independent), Anatolij GOLOV (Jabloko), Petr SHELISCH (Jabloko), Sergej JUSHENKOV (independent), Julij RYBAKOV (independent), Rinat SULTANOV (Jabloko), Pavel MEDVEDEV (Russian Regions), Jurij PARSHAKOV (LDPR).

Today and tomorrow (June 6 and 7) Radical activists are holding street table for collecting signatures under appeal to the Russian Parliament named "For the intervention of the Rule of Law: Legalize and Control Drugs in order to face them effectively".

On Monday, June 8, at the day of opening UNGASS in New York, will be organized demonstration at the UN mission (Per. Obukha 6) to protest against further continuation of prohibitionist policy, for modification/denunciation UN international conventions on drugs. The demonstration starts at 17:00.

On Tuesday, June 9, at 18:00 on Pushkin square at the Pushkin monument will start the antiprohibitionist rally of Radical Party, where Nikolaj Khramov and Lev Levinson will do the action of civilian disobedience to the Art. 46 of the law "On Narcotic Drugs And Psychotropic Substances" which bans distribution the information on drugs. Radical militants will demonstratively distribute pamphlets "Truth About Hemp", notifying in advance the police about their intention to violate publicly the harmful and anti-constitutional law.

On Wednesday, June 10, from 16:00 to 19:00 on Pushkin square Radical activists will organize "Street Referendum on drugs", proposing the by-passers to respond three questions about their attitude to the legalization of cannabis, depenalization of personal use of any substance and about controlled distribution of heroin under medical prescription.

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