29. The Committee remains concerned about the spread of drug addiction, including by way of injection, which is the main factor for the growing epidemic of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and tuberculosis in the Russian Federation. The Committee also remains concerned about the continued ban on the medical use of methadone and buprenorphine for treatment of drug dependence and the fact that the Government does not support opioid substitution therapy (OST) and needle and syringe programmes which are strongly recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other international organizations as effective measures for prevention of HIV/AIDS among injecting drug users (art. 12).
The Committee urges the State party to apply a human rights-based approach to drug users so that they do not forfeit their basic right to health. The Committee strongly recommends the State party to provide clear legal grounds and other support for the internationally recognized measures for HIV prevention among injecting drug users, in particular the opioid substitution therapy with use of methadone and buprenorphine, as well as needle and syringe, and overdose prevention programmes.
- Harm reduction
- Human rights
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The CESCR Committee’s concluding Observations on Russia are important for: 1. their endorsement of the Technical Guide as a component of the right to health; and 2. their recognition of overdose prevention as a component of the right to health.
- Harm reduction
- Human rights