Legalization and Decriminalization of Drugs. A Critical Analysis of Foreign Experience

A critical review of the experience of a number of countries in the legalization and decriminalization of narcotic substances is made, and arguments of supporters and opponents of this process are presented. The objective reasons for the lack of a unified point of view in the scientific community on the safety of prescribing cannabinoids for therapeutic purposes are presented, and the official point of view on the legalization of recreational drugs in Russia is also highlighted. Contradictory conclusions of Western experts on the conditional positive consequences of legalization and decriminalization of recreational psychoactive substances are noted, which casts doubt on the expediency of such decisions, their benefits for public health and improvement of social health of the society.