Social network video draws public attention to psychotropic substances in Chechnya

In Chechnya, policemen make PR steps by recording videos reprimanding drinking alcoholic beverages and taking psychotropic drugs. Meanwhile, pharmacies selling psychotropic drugs without prescriptions continue to operate, users of social networks note.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 15, the chief of the Department for the Gudermes District of the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reprimanded the young people who had been detained for using psychotropic substances and alcoholic beverages and handed them over on bail to their parents.

A video, at which the chief of the MIA's Department for the Gudermes District had a preventive conversation with the parents of the young people brought to the police station for using psychotropic substances and appearing in a public place while intoxicated was posted on the "ChP Chechnya" group on the social network. As at 5:00 a.m. Moscow time on today, November 19, the video gained 23,337 views.

Many commentators criticized the actions of the law enforcers. "They would better show the arbitrariness of Kadyrov's subordinates," user noxcho_kzt noted.

"That's even tougher than in North Korea," user 6039sss wrote ironically.

Some social network users have pointed out the dangers of the legal sale of psychotropic substances.

"The fact of the matter is that they cannot punish them in any way but to take them on video. We already learned from the police that they can only close a pharmacy, but people will go to another one. There are a lot of such pharmacies in our area," user natalya210986 wrote.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 19, 2019 at 06:00 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.