In 2004, Russia effectively decriminalized small possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use. Signed by President Vladimir Putin, the legislation sets out administrative fines or community service for possession of no more than 10 times the amount of a "single dose" of drugs.

The new law permits possession of no more than 20 grams of marijuana; 5 grams of hashish, mescaline or opium; 1.5 grams of cocaine; 1 gram of heroin or methamphetamine; or 0.003 grams of LSD. Under the old standards, someone caught with as little as 0.1 gram of marijuana could be jailed. It is important to note that foreigners can be expelled from Russia or denied re-entry even under the new, more relaxed drug laws.

Left without the ability to detain individual drug users, FADS agents have turned their attention to paraphernalia instead. An agency that used to crack down on tax cheats, the service has grabbed headlines in recent months by going after cell phone covers, vodka and books displaying drug-related themes.

Asked about this dangerous attack on free speech, a regional head of FADS told a Russian newspaper, "We do not operate according to the Constitution. We are regulated by other laws and the president. Constitutionality is decided by the courts."

Meanwhile, because of the government's crackdown on paraphernalia and lack of a comprehensive public health policy, HIV is spreading more rapidly in Russia than anywhere else in the world. Russia's entire budget for HIV-related matters, per capita, is less than the cost of a pack of cigarettes.Russia spends about a tenth of Brazil's HIV budget, despite the two nations having similar populations and per-capita incomes. At 58 years, the life expectancy for a male child in Russia is lower than in Bangladesh.

The HIV crisis has spread far beyond injection drug users and sex workers in Russia. As recently as 2000, 96 percent of new HIV cases were attributed to injection drug use. In 2003, the rate was 64 percent.

St. Petersburg is leading the way toward harm reduction by providing condoms and traveling health workers, and sending buses to deliver information and needles to people who cannot be reached in other ways.