The Expert Council on Legal Narcotic Drugs Circulation consisting of reputable scientists and practitioners in the field of medicine, pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry, and jurisprudence, was established as a permanent consultative and advisory body in order to promote the implementation of state policy in the field of narcotic drugs circulation, their medical use, and treatment and prevention of drug addiction in the context of the tasks set by the Strategy of the State Anti-Drug Policy for the period up to 2030, approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 733 dd. November 23, 2020.
The Expert Council was formed under the autonomous non-profit organization “Consulting Center for the Circulation of Narcotic Drugs “Expert Council on Narcotic Drugs Circulation", established by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Moscow Endocrine Plant” (FSUE Endopharm) in agreement with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia and the Federal Property Management Agency, registered by order of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation in Moscow.
The competence of the Expert Council will allow to assist in ensuring the implementation of the legislation of the Russian Federation to federal government bodies, government bodies of constituent entities of the Russian Federation, institutions, organizations and other subjects of legal relations related to the circulation of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors.
The areas of activity of the Expert Council are:
- provision of consulting services in the development and implementation of programs and projects aimed at improving efficiency and optimizing control for the circulation of narcotic drugs, the cultivation of narcotic plants, psychotropic substances and their precursors;
- development of scientifically substantiated recommendations in the field of legal circulation of narcotic drugs;
- analysis of foreign and Russian legislation in the field of legal circulation of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors;
- analysis of proposals for optimizing Russian legislation and law enforcement practice in the field of legal circulation of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, including within the framework of international conventions and obligations;
- ensuring, in agreement with the federal executive authorities, representation at the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the World Health Organization and other authoritative international organizations under the auspices of the United Nations;
- promotion of activities in the field of prevention and protection of health, as well as promotion of a healthy lifestyle;
- monitoring the use of regulated drugs and substances in sports;
The Expert Council, within its powers, will continue the positive experience of the National Standing Committee on Drug Control (SCDC), which was formed in 1954 on the initiative of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health and until 2011 was a Russian interdepartmental expert body operating on a voluntary basis. Eduard Armenakovich Babayan, an outstanding Soviet and Russian scientist, Professor, M.D., honored physician of the Russian Federation, leading narcologist of Russia, who made an invaluable contribution to the development of the system of control and classification of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, has been SCDC’s permanent head since 1963.
After the SCDC was dissolved, its functions were partially transferred to the executive authorities and the State Anti-Drug Committee. At the same time, no expert support was rendered to legal narcotic drugs circulation, and facilitating the solution of a number of issues in this area stopped.
FSUE “Endopharm” has preserved the archives of the SCDC consisting of the most important documents about the history of its creation, as well as the resolutions of the INCB and the SCDC from the middle of the last century. Work for digitizing and systematizing the materials of the archive has been carried out, and the archive is constantly being replenished with relevant official documents of the INCB and the CNS.
In early February, the Expert Council on legal narcotic drugs circulation held its first (organizational) meeting in the premises of FSUE “Endopharm”.
“We can only welcome the creation of this public organization, because after the death of Eduard Armenakovich Babayan there was no one to head this most important area of work. I am sure that this organization will be able to solve many problematic issues related to the circulation of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors,” said during the Council’s meeting Evgeny Bryun, President of the State Budgetary Healthcare Institution “Moscow Scientific and Practical Center for Narcology of the Moscow City Health Department”, chief external specialist psychiatrist-narcologist of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and the Department of Health of Moscow, M.D., Professor.
“Of course, the goals are set correctly and the Expert Council was created in proper time, since an autonomous non-profit organization is the most flexible structure that is able to promptly and comprehensively protect the interests of medicine and science interacting at all levels. In addition, it would be advisable to include a specialist involved in preclinical studies of the addictive potential of pharmacological agents on animals into the Expert Council,” said Evgeny Krupitsky, Deputy Director for Research of the FSBI “Bekhterev National Medical Research Center of Psychiatry and Neurology” of the Ministry of Health of Russia (St. Petersburg), M.D., Professor.
“There are a number of serious issues related to the circulation of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in the military units and divisions of the Armed Forces, as well as military units of other ministries and departments of the power authorities. These, as well as a number of other issues in the light of anti-drug policy, cannot be resolved without serious legal, scientific and methodological development. And the established Expert Council will undoubtedly provide invaluable assistance to the military healthcare of Russia in solving them,” said Yuri Miroshnichenko, the head of the Department of Pharmacy of the Kirov Military Medical Academy, chief specialist of the Ministry of Defense of Russia on medicines supply (St. Petersburg).
The assistance of the Expert Council in the implementation of scientific and methodological research, the provision of consulting services, the formation of a data bank on theoretical and practical issues in the field of legal drug trafficking can become an important aspect that contributes to the adoption of effective management decisions at all levels.
“Accredited specialized laboratories are currently interested in legal obtaining of reference materials of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and it is necessary that they be produced on the territory of Russia, because procurement procedures and delivery from abroad is a very complicated process. Anti-doping legislation corresponds to controlled drugs and substances, and meeting the needs of users in controlled reference materials allows not only to implement existing methods for determining prohibited substances, but also to develop new ones in the interests of the sports community. The interaction is developped based on the analysis of international experience and contributes to the improvement of the domestic legal framework in terms of anti-doping regulation and the circulation of controlled drugs and substances,” commented on the functions of the Expert Council during their discussion Elena Mochalova, Acting Director of the National Anti-Doping Laboratory of the Lomonosov Moscow State University.
In order to organize the activities of the Expert Council, the functions of its Chairman for a period of one year were assigned to Mikhail Fonarev, General Director of FSUE “Endopharm”, Candidate of Law. The Council’s Regulations provide for the annual re-election of the Chairman.
In his opening speech at the meeting, Mikhail Fonarev noted:
“The main short-term task of the Expert Council, based on the Strategy of the State Anti-Drug Policy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030, within the scope of its competence, is to organize interaction with executive authorities, identify and consider the most pressing problems, develop evidence-based recommendations of the expert community for their solution. The members of the Expert Council are domestic highly qualified specialists from various fields of scientific and practical activity, each of whom has accumulated a significant amount of knowledge and experience related to the legal circulation of narcotic drugs, and it would be perfect if this professionalism becomes the driving force of the Expert Council for the benefit of preserving and strengthening the health of Russian citizens.
Specialists with extensive experience and a wide range of expertise in the field of legal regulation and control of drug trafficking, their medical use, anti-doping regulation and circulation of controlled drugs, as well as the treatment and prevention of drug addiction are elected as permanent members of the Expert Council.
The permanent members of the Expert Council are:
Bryun Evgeny Alekseevich, President of the State Budgetary Institution of Health “Moscow Scientific and Practical Center for Narcology of the Moscow City Health Department”, chief external specialist psychiatrist-narcologist of the Moscow City Health Department, M.D., Professor.
Klimenko Tatyana Valentinovna, Acting Director of the National Scientific Center for Narcology – a branch of the FSBI “Serbsky National Medical Research Center of Psychiatry and Neurology” of the Ministry of Health of Russia, M.D., Professor.
Miroshnichenko Yury Vladimirovich, Head of the Department of Pharmacy of the Kirov Military Medical Academy, Chief Specialist of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for Medicines Supply (St. Petersburg), Doctor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Professor, Honored Health Worker of the Russian Federation, Excellent Health Worker
Tselinsky Boris Prokofievich, Secretary-General of the Expert Council, Head of the Department of the Legal Basis for Narcology of the National Scientific Center for Narcology – a branch of the FSBI “Serbsky National Medical Research Center of Psychiatry and Neurology” of the Ministry of Health of Russia, candidate of legal sciences. He said that the Council is working on engaging other reputable experts to the Council’s activities on a permanent basis, which will be able to strengthen the competence of the Expert Council in various areas.
Based on the SCDC’s experience, it is planned to engage representatives of state authorities to consider issues within the competence of the Expert Council.
The activities of the Expert Council will cover acute, requiring immediate response issues in the regions of the Russian Federation, analysis of the world practice of legal circulation of controlled drugs and substances.
The meeting approved the Regulations and the emblem of the Expert Council, which is an image of an owl as a symbol of wisdom against the background of the globe, which means harmonization with international standards. The scales at the top of the emblem symbolize a comprehensive approach and balance in decision making. Along the circumference of the emblem there is the inscription in Latin “Competentiae – Libertatem” (Competence – Independence) and “Concilium Peritorum” (Council of Experts).
Creation of an official website where information about the activities of the Expert Council will be published is planned in the near future.
The Expert Council entrusted its financial and logistical support to the ANO “Consulting Center for the Circulation of Narcotic Drugs “Expert Council on Legal Drug Trafficking", established by FSUE “Endopharm” for these purposes.
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