ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Since the beginning of the twenty first century, there has been an intensified political debate about drugs in Russia. The drug problem is now regarded as one of the country's most serious problems and as an issue of top priority for the Russian government. Objectives: The aim of this qualitative study is to explore how illegal drugs are discussed in Russian political discourse. Methods: The material includes an analysis of 177 speeches made in the lower house of the Russian parliament, the Russian State Duma, between 2014 and 2018. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis (CDA). Results: In general, the study found that the debate about the drug problem was characterized by consensus, and there were small differences between the Deputy members in their understanding of the problem. Three main understandings of the drug problem were identified: (1) Illegal drugs as an increasing problem in Russia, (2) Drugs as an external threat, and (3) A need for a more repressive drug policy. Conclusion: There was a general consensus about how the drug problem should be regarded among the politicians, with a focus on a war on drugs and an absence of harm reduction ideas.
Subject(s)
Illicit Drugs , Government , Harm Reduction , Humans , Public Policy , RussiaABSTRACT
Since the 1960s, the media in Western Europe and the United States has been one important actor in the public understanding of the drug phenomenon. In Russia, however, it is only since the 1980s that illegal drugs have been discussed in the media and this discussion remains on-going today. By using narrative analysis, this article focuses on how illegal drug use among young people is constructed in the Russian press. As a result of the narrative analysis, three main discourses were identified: a foreign problem discourse, a disease discourse, and a medical discourse.
Subject(s)
Drug Users/psychology , Narration , Substance-Related Disorders/psychology , Humans , Newspapers as Topic , Russia , USSRABSTRACT
This study analyzes how an individual constructs his life as a former amphetamine user. The study has a methodological purpose, providing an example of how narrative analysis and discourse analysis can be conducted and combined. First, an interview with a former amphetamine user in his 50s was analyzed by the narrative method with a focus on identity construction. Second, it was then examined from a discourse analytical perspective. The article demonstrates how discourse analysis and narrative analysis could be combined when analyzing identity constructions.
