OST

Interview with the UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov

Mr. Fedotov about OTS, Afganistan, NGOs and many other issues..

Methadone maintenance treatment decreases reoffending

A recent study in how methadone can be a useful tool in preventing re-offending and prisoner death rates has been released by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales. The 10 year long study involved 375 male heroin using prisoners from New South Wales prisons. The study found that those on methadone were 20% less likely to re-offend compared to those not on methadone substitution.

Russian HIV activist has been planted drugs in Kaliningrad airport

It finally happened – the thing I have been afraid the most of all since I got involved in a legal battle against Russia. As you may remember in February, 2011 I sent a request to the Ministry of Health on a possibility to provide me with the opioid substitution treatment (OST). They refused, as the OST with methadone is prohibited by Russian law. Then I sued them in my district court with references to Constitution of the Russian Federation and International Law.

Russian sent to prison for the abduction and forced 'treatment' of drug users

A russian who kidnapped and forced drug users into treatment has been sent to prison for 3 and half years.

Russia has a huge heroin market with no access to opiate substitution therapy or state funded needle exchange. This has led to huge incidence of HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

The human rights of drug users in terms of access to essential medicines have been under heavy attack in Russia.

Mat Southwell of project manager of INPUD told TalkingDrugs:

Methadone Man and Buprenorphine Babe target Russia

This latest video released by the Open Society Institute (OSI) addresses the fact that Russia has still not endorsed Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) such as methadone and Buprenorphine as a form of treatment for heroin dependency.

Massive repressions of the OST practitioners in Ukraine

Mass detention of opioid substitution treatment (OST) patients, medical staff arrests, disclosure of confidential information, police initiated provocations, the health care system inability to fight back – all of this has become harsh reality in Ukraine. On March 11-13, 2010 in Odessa as a result of police intervention into the operations of the Oblast Narcological Dispensary, for several days treatment provision was suspended and almost 200 patients openly protested on the streets appealing to local and national media.

Anthrax infected heroin cases spread to the continent

In the wake of seven confirmed deaths and a further 14 infections in Scotland, health authorities in Germany suspect that a 24 year old male has also died due to anthrax poisoning. The man was admitted to hospital on December 6th after injecting himself with heroin and later died of multi-organ failure on December 13th. Although the death was not originally thought to be anthrax related a wound swab taken on December 18th revealed anthrax spores.

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