The lower house of the Russian parliament rejected on Friday a draft from the Liberal Democratic Party to make drug abusers criminally liable.
The draft, which was mainly written by Russian Liberal Democrat leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky, was written seven years ago, but was only recently reviewed by the Russian lower house, the Duma.
The draft proposed a maximum one year prison sentence for drug addicts on their first drug-related trial and up to three years for further drug abuse.
"Those who seek help at a clinic of their own accord would be freed from having committed a criminal act," Zhirinovsky said.
He said drug takers were prosecuted by law in the Soviet Union which is why drug abuse was not such a pressing problem then as it is now.
According to official data there are currently around 6 million drug addicts in Russia.
MOSCOW, March 26 (RIA Novosti)
