Country Study - RussiaBy Alex Liney

Russia - Overview

• Largest country in the world– Nearly double the land mass of the United States

History - Politics• Russia has had various political systems in

place throughout it’s history– Russian Empire under the Czars– The USSR during the Communist era from 1917-

1991– Currently it is defined as a federation.

History – Social Structures• Population of over 142 million people– About 1/3 of the US population– Low Life expectancy compared to other

developed nations.• Social stratification was clearly defined

between the aristocrats and peasant during the rule of the Czars.

History – Social Structures

• The Communist Revolution ended the disaparity, but did not destroy it.– The working class suffered through long lines for

food, cramped living arrangements.– The peasants still lived in poverty.

• The communist system in Russia allowed for little upward social mobility.– Class system never really disappeared.

History – Social Structures

• Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the class divide is very evident and is growing.

• There is still a disparity between wealth and privilege in Russia today.

• Russia’s unemployment rate in 2009 was 18.3%, with 13.1% of its people living below the poverty line.

History – Drug Culture

• Russia has a reputation for the cultivation, production, and exportation of illicit drugs.

• It is a major source of the chemicals needed to produce heroin.

• It is a major consumer of opiate narcotics today.– A common trend in areas across

the developed world where poverty is present, and social mobility is limited.

What is Krokodil?

• Krokodil is the Russian word for ‘crocodile’– The name is not chosen at random.

• It is a bastardized version of morphine, which uses over-the-counter codeine to produce a very cheap and highly addictive opiate on par with morphine and heroin.

• It is about 3 times stronger, and 10 times cheaper than heroin.

• It is far, far more dangerous than its cousins however.• Ingredients that can be used in krokodil production

include gasoline and paint thinner.

Krokodil Use

• The high of krokodil lasts an hour an a half, and cooking it only takes about an hour.– Krokodil addicts have claimed to have been

cooking and shooting the drug for 24 hours a day, every single day.

Effects of Krokodil Use

• The injection of krokdil makes the user’s skin become greenish and scaly (explaining the nickname).– This is caused by blood vessels near the injection

sight bursting and the surrounding tissue dying.• Porous bone, like the bone in your lower jaw,

get eaten away because of the drugs acidity.• WARNING: THE FOLLOWING SLIDE CONTAINS

GRAPHIC IMAGES.

How serious is the problem?

• Perspective– The average life expectancy after beginning

krokodil use is 2-3 years.– Those who are able to quit, are left disfigured.– Sever scarring, amputation, brain damage, and

speech problems are common.

How long has this been going on?

• According to Time Magazine, it first appeared in Siberia in 2002.

• The spread of krokodil has only taken flight in the past three years.– Since 2009, krokodil seizures have increased

massively – by 23-fold in only 3 years.

What caused this trend?

• Marilyn Murray, The Moscow Times (7/3/2012)– “In the early 1990s, as Russians were climbing out

of the wreckage of the Soviet collapse, they were looking at a landscape without the veil of the Iron Curtain. Many were in shock as chaos, violence and confusion rose from the rubble with a roar…with the fall of the Soviet system, organized crime groups flourished as drug traffickers swept in huge profits from this new, untouched market.”

What is being done?

• In short, the government of Russia tells addicts to go into treatment or go to jail.

• “Despite widespread knowledge of codeine's contribution to krokodil, a law making codeine prescription-only did not become effective until June 1 [2012]…Apathy instead of action continues to be the order of the day.” – Marylin Murray

Sources

• http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/how-naivety-about-drug-addiction-ruins-lives/461484.html

• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html

• http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2078355,00.html

• http://countrystudies.us/russia/27.htm• Google Images