From: "Alchemind Society" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Russians Jump on Drug Censorship Bandwagon Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2000 15:06:27 -0700 Organization: Alchemind Society Alchemind Allies -- Looks like the idea of criminalizing all non-government-approved drug information is sweeping the globe. Now the Russians are evidently enacting information bans similar to those that Congress is shooting for in the US with the Methamphetamine and Ecstasy Anti-Proliferation Act's. For more information on the latter Act, see: www.cognitiveliberty.org/ecstasybill.htm Thanks to our friends at Global Internet Liberty Campaign (GLIC) for pointing out this article to us. For more about them, see http://www.gilc.org --Alchemind Society www.alchemind.org ================================== Russian drug law hurts free speech ================================== A new Russian proposal may prevent the discussion of drug-related issues on the Information Superhighway. The Federation Council amended the country's laws on mass media law to prevent people from giving out information on the creation, sale and usage of illegal drugs. This prohibition applies to most forms of communications, including the Internet. The measure is broadly written and prevents individuals from even mentioning places where drugs are being sold. In addition, this plan would bar public discussion of the properties and potentially beneficial effects of certain chemical substances. A number of experts have questioned the utility of the new amendment and its potentially censorial effect. One observer from the St. Petersburg Vozvrashcheniye Foundation noted that if "there is no in-depth information about drugs in the media, the nation will be ignorant and, therefore, more vulnerable to drug abuse." Similarly, media critic Andrei Richter called the measure "useless" because "existing criminal laws are sufficient to fight drug abuse." For more information, see Anna Badkhen, "Upper House Passes Media Ban Over Drugs," The St. Petersburg Times, June 9, 2000 at http://www.sptimes.ru/archive/times/575/news/n_upper.htm ************************************************************************** Subscribe to Freematt's Alerts: Pro-Individual Rights Issues Send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the words subscribe FA on the subject line. List is private and moderated (7-30 messages per month) Matthew Gaylor,1933 E. Dublin-Granville Rd., PMB 176, Columbus, OH 43229 (614) 313-5722 Archived at http://www.egroups.com/list/fa/ **************************************************************************
