Russian Political Discourse on Illegal Drugs: A Thematic Analysis of Parliamentary Debates

Background Since the beginning of twenty first century, there has been an intensified political debate about drugs in Russia. The drug problem is now regarded as one country’s most serious problems and issue top priority for Russian government. Objectives: aim this qualitative study to explore how illegal are discussed discourse. Methods: material includes analysis 177 speeches made lower house parliament, State Duma, between 2014 2018. data were analyzed using content (CDA). Results: In general, found that was characterized by consensus, small differences Deputy members their understanding problem. Three main understandings identified: (1) Illegal increasing Russia, (2) Drugs external threat, (3) A need a more repressive policy. Conclusion: There general consensus should be among politicians, with focus on war absence harm reduction ideas.