MARIJUANA: AMERICANS VOTE ON REFERENDUMS FOR LEGALIZATION OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA. AND WHAT ABOUT RUSSIA? ON THIS QUESTION TODAY SHOULD GIVE THE ANSWER THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

Moscow, November 5, 1998 -- Simultaneously with mid-term election taking place yesterday in USA, in five states and in the federal district Columbia were held referendums on legalization of use hemp derivates in medical purposes. Official results of voting as of 5:24 minutes of East time (source: Associated Press): Alaska - yes 58%, no 42%; Arizona - yes 43%, no 57%; district Columbia - the data are not available; Nevada - yes 59%, no 41%; Oregon - yes 55%, no 45%; Washington - yes 59%, no 41%. According to these data (except for district Columbia), among five states only Arizona has rejected legalization of medical marijuana. It is necessary to mean, that in Alaska and in Oregon marijuana was legal before, so long as in the beginning of 80's has not amplified the prohibitionist campaign which has resulted in changing the legislations. Similar referendum should be held in next future in such a major state as New York.

Statement of Nikolaj Khramov, Russian coordinator of the Transnational Radical Party:

``Yesterday's referendums in United States, the fortress of global prohibitionism, force us again to pay the look on situation in our country. Here in April of this year at a federal level has come into force the new extremist prohibitionist law "On narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances" which interdicts treatment of drug addicts, threatening to transform completely Russia into a police state under the pretext of "war on drugs", and preserving absolute monopoly of the organized crime to underground trade of "forbidden", but more and more accessible substances.

However, just today Constitutional Court on its plenary session should take a decision on the inquiry about conformity to the Constitution of this law, presented last Summer in Constitutional Court on the initiative of Radical Party with the signatures of 96 members of the State Duma belonging to all without exception fractions and groups.

In today's issue of "Moskovskij Komsomolec" the readers were informed that because of underground alcohol trade the state budget has lost this year 30 millions of new roubles. However what a drop in the sea should seem this sum in comparison with direct and indirect losses of the state (and we, it means) caused by trading of other - illegal - drugs, a trade, which is today the most profitable business on the planet and which belongs today on 100% to the criminal organizations! The state simply gives these money to mafia. True, true: Russia is a generous soul indeed...''