The Price of Freedom: Illegal Drug Markets and Policies in Post-Soviet Russia

In its difficult transition to democracy and a market economy, Russia has experienced a veritable boom of illegal markets, specifically the drug market. Drawing on the results of a study conducted on behalf of the United Nations, the first part of the article reconstructs the expansion of illegal drug consumption and trade in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. It points, in particular, to the rapid diffusion of heroin, a substance that was virtually unknown in the former Soviet Union. The second part of the article reviews the measures taken by the Russian government to tackle illegal drug use and trafficking. It concludes that--as much as in the United States--the Russian drug policy is focused on supply reduction, whereas more funds and energies should be invested on the demand side for drug prevention, treatment, and harm reduction.