State-run rehabilitation programmes in Russia need more work

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State-run rehabilitation programmes in Russia need more work

19 September 2013

By Denis Avtonomov

On June 28, 2013, a project run by the State Interdepartmental Program (“Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Re-socialization of Consumers of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances”) was presented. The Russian Federal Drug Control Service, which is a law enforcement agency, drafted the document and is responsible for the execution of the program.

The purpose of the state-run program is to reduce the demand for drugs, develop rehabilitation resources and provide access to social and rehabilitative care for all those who want to stop using drugs.

According to the Federal Drug Control Service there are currently around 500 non-medical rehabilitation and re-socialization centers that have been created by nongovernmental organizations in the Russian Federation. Up to 20,000 drug addicts undergo rehabilitation in these centers annually.

It is assumed that the state will select and create a unified database of private rehabilitation centers and, by means of using a non-cash payment method, pay for rehabilitation services for every citizen of Russia who wants to get rid of his or her drug addiction. The program is scheduled to run in 2013–2020, with total funding at 179 billion rubles (nearly U.S. $ 5.5 billion).

On paper, it looks great — rehabilitation, care, employment, social services, etc. However, “the devil is in the details.” Nonetheless, according to the Federal Drug Control Service project, a person is supposed to be referred to rehabilitation even in the case of a single (!) use of a narcotic and psychotropic drug without a doctor’s prescription. That is, a person who is not ill is supposed to be treated prematurely.

Read here the full article.

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