PRI: Drug users are presumed criminals in Ukraine. New police training is aimed at changing that.
“In Ukraine, substance abuse has been an epidemic for the past two decades — about one percent of all adults are intravenous drug users — the leading cause of HIV transmission in the country. The problem continues to grow year after year. While the war-torn country is struggling economically, there is little hope in improving the situation. … Just like in the rest of the country, police [in the town of Boryspil] see and treat drug users as potential or actual criminals. However, some nongovernmental organizations in Ukraine like Svitanok Club believe a different approach can help policing Boryspil…” (Friedman, 10/6).