and wrong behavior with bad consequences

Yesterday, the general director of the public non-profit organization "European Cities Against Drugs" (ECAD), TOMAS HALLBERG, paid a working visit to St. Petersburg. He held a number of meetings at St. Petersburg State University, with which ECAD signed an agreement on combating the spread of drugs, and gave an interview to Kommersant correspondent YULIA SHUM.
The international non-profit non-governmental organization "European Cities Against Drugs" (ECAD) was founded in Stockholm in 1994 at an international conference of mayors of 24 cities. Over the course of six years, ECAD has united more than 240 cities from 25 European countries, gained wide popularity and gained authority as one of the largest organizations taking real action to prevent the spread of drug addiction.

— Which direction of government policy, in your opinion, should be a priority: the fight against drug trafficking or the prevention of drug addiction?
— Of course, it is necessary to fight drug production and large suppliers. But world experience shows that it is impossible to counter the spread of drugs among young people using helicopters. The problem is that no advertising is needed to distribute the potion; the market here is self-regulating. And a politician who thinks big understands that it is necessary to influence this market, the environment in which the drug becomes popular. In Germany, in England, in the Netherlands they understand how important it is that young people do not even experiment with drugs. In Europe there are many programs to prevent drug addiction, but the main thing is still the law.
— And what should the legislation be? Liberal, as in Holland, or restrictive (restrictive)?
- Of course, restrictive. 150 years ago, lack of drug control led to the Opium Wars in China. At the end of the twentieth century, cocaine was freely sold in America; it was banned only in 1913. And the number of cocaine addicts dropped from 250 thousand to 50 thousand. In England during the same period, doctors themselves made a voluntary commitment to monitor their patients' drug use. And this also began to bring results.
— Should we help a drug addict or persecute him?
- Both. When it comes to drugs, about those tough measures that are the only way to fight them, you cannot hide behind beautiful phrases about human rights. If we limit motorists with rules, because road safety depends on their behavior, then we must treat drug addicts just as strictly, because he is also dangerous to society.
In Sweden, for example, it is very difficult to be a drug addict, it is unpleasant to admit it, there are many chances of being detained by the police, but, on the other hand, it is very easy to get medical and social assistance. And in many ways, it is tough legislation and constant monitoring of its compliance that deters young people from trying drugs for the first time. I am very distrustful of all kinds of statistics and trust only those surveys that are conducted in schools. More than 20 European countries regularly ask their 15-16 year old students if they have tried drugs. In England, 36% of schoolchildren admitted that they were familiar with marijuana, in Holland - 32-35%, and in Sweden, known for its harsh anti-drug laws, only 9%.
— In St. Petersburg, according to various sources, there are from 100 to 300 thousand drug addicts. Over the past three years, their number has increased fivefold. The most common is heroin. The main consumer is young people. What does this data say?
- That you have huge problems. There is a drug epidemic in St. Petersburg. It is impossible not to see this. I regularly visit your city and see that drugs are sold almost freely on the streets, in clubs, in discos, where I specifically go to objectively assess the situation.
— What can be counteracted to the drug epidemic?
— To really change something, you need support. But not even so much the state or city authorities, but the entire society. But it’s hard for me to talk about what kind of support you might have from the people today, their understanding of the problem that has arisen. Young politicians and public figures are now beginning to come to power, whose value system will significantly influence the formation of public opinion. And if the new generation embraces the drug culture, control over the drug situation may be lost altogether. And with the support of society, you can return to the control you once had. Raids of the police and people's vigilantes in discos and clubs should identify drug addicts, harass them, and not leave them unattended. Today in St. Petersburg, more people die from drug overdoses than on the roads in road accidents. But at the same time, you only have about 200 police officers fighting the drug business. And you have normal laws, but they are poorly enforced. And there are no resources allocated for full-fledged rehabilitation of drug addicts for at least 6 months. And this is the position of local authorities.
— What do you think about the so-called harm reduction programs - syringe exchange, prescription drugs?
- Extremely negative. This is a great harm to society. Such programs do not say unequivocally no to drugs and create a loyal atmosphere for the addict. It’s the same as if I told my son, don’t you dare take my car, but here’s the key. And most importantly, there is no clear evidence that these systems help cope with drug addiction.
— We now have a lot of advertising of some new methods, new drugs for the treatment of drug addiction. Is this disease even curable?
— Drug addiction is not a disease. I would call it incorrect human behavior that ends in bad consequences. And accordingly, there is no point in talking about whether these consequences can be treated or not. It all depends on the person whether he wants to get rid of his bad habits or not. If he really wants, society can help him. If not, you have to force it.

Newspaper "Kommersant St. Petersburg" No. 73 dated April 24, 2001, p. 4