>From RIA Novosti
Komsomolskaya Pravda
June 26, 1998
YELTSIN: MY GRANDSONS AND I SHARE SOME SECRETS
President Boris Yeltsin answers questions from the daily Komsomolskaya Pravda and supports its "Off the Needle" action.
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QUESTION: It is no secret that drugs are one of the most acute problems of the younger generation. What is to be done, Boris Nikolayevich?
ANSWER: Neither I nor anyone can answer this question conclusively. Drug addiction is a horrible evil, but there is no universal method of combating it today. All talk about strong narcotic drugs and weak narcotic drugs is just an attempt to lull oneself. Narcotics are narcotics. Taking them develops dependence, suppresses the personality and destroys the mind. I am concerned about drug addiction not only as the President. My grandsons are growing up. As all people their age they go to discotheques and have parties. The parents do not control every step they take. So my grandsons may also yield to the temptations of "trying drugs" one day. Fortunately, this has not happen yet. It is necessary to do something so that teenagers should not deceive themselves: crossing the line is easy, but coming back is almost impossible.
I am against the legalisation of narcotic drugs, though this is how some countries prefer to combat drug addiction. But the problem will not be solved by bans alone. It is necessary to wage a large-scale educational campaign and there must be the alternative to drugs, such as sports, for instance. I welcome your paper's "Off the Needle" Action and anti-drug television ads shown on NTV and other national channels. More actions of this kind should be launched. It goes without saying that the authorities must not distance themselves from such actions, leaving them for the public alone. Law-enforcement authorities conducted and will conduct a struggle against the drug business. They should punish drug dealers in the first place, not their victims.
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Johnson's Russia List
#2341
26 June 1998
davidjohnson@erols.com
