No abstract

Purpose The negotiations leading to the UN Special Session (UN General Assembly Special Session on drugs (UNGASS)) on drugs have highlighted the lack of consensus among the global players, with some strengthening the prohibitionist approach and others seeking policy reforms. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the Russian Federation’s national policies and diplomatic activism to influence the outcome of the negotiations at the multilateral level. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of the federal legislation on drug control and the legislation on HIV/AIDS has been undertaking in October 2016. Peer-reviewed, grey literature, policy documents, UN reports and news reports were used to gather information on the country’s response to drugs internally and externally. Findings Despite its limited regional influence on harm reduction and declining financial power, the Russian Federation has been successful in preserving its international priorities by opposing harm reduction and maintaining the prohibition paradigm in the UNGASS outcome. Research limitations/implications Every effort was made to identify valid sources of information on the levers of influence of the Russian Federation. Little data were available on the real outcome of the efforts deployed in influencing the BRICS and other regional and international assemblies. Originality/value This paper presents an overview of the national policies of the Russian Federation, a global player, and provides a better understanding of how the national approach to illicit drugs and their perception influences its international position. It analyses the geographic, economic and diplomatic sphere of influence of the country in drug policies, and provides explanations on the successes and shortcomings of the Russian influence at the multilateral discussions on drugs.

Ophidian accidents are a significant public health problem worldwide, due to both their frequency and morbidity and mortality. In Brazil, during the years 2009 to 2019 there were 313,139 registered cases, of which 151,565 occurred in the North Region, making explicit the importance of studying this disease in that Region. The objective of the present study is to determine the epidemiological profile of the affected patients (age and sex), the accident itself (UF, month, year, time to attend) and the snake gender of the accidents that occurred in the Northern region of Brazil. Secondary data were obtained through access to the Information Department of the Brazilian Unified Health System (DATASUS), at the electronic address www.datasus.gov.br, in the SIH / SUS Hospital Information System. It was found that the accidents occurred mainly in rural areas, with men, in socioeconomically active age, caused by snakes of the Bothrops genus. Several cases could be classified as accidents at work, these could be avoided or minimized with appropriate personal protective equipment and guidelines.

No abstract

No abstract