and its vast beautiful lands...

sociologist should study why Siberian
youngsters are turning to drugs
when they are excelling in school/
have high social status?!?

*maybe this will help lower the number
of HIV/AIDS cases in Siberia, Irkutsk.

some abstracts from :
The New York Times, 2000

'And in the Irkutsk region there are
300 000 people between the ages of
14-28. so it turns out that every
third or fourth young man at age
18 or 20 takes drugs.'

Dr. Maksim Medvedev :
'roughly 3 of every 10 people i
examine have the AIDS virus'

Lelia Starodumova, 23,
was a swimming champion and model
before she started opium 4 years ago.
Now she and her husband are heroin
addicts and she carries HIV.
'99% of the drugs addicts have HIV.'
she said blandly.
'The only ones who aren't sick
are the ones who haven't had their
blood tested'.

he was among the top 5 in his law class,
aiming for a chance to study in the US.
Now he practices petty thievery and
rolls small-time drug sellers for the
150 rubles - about $5
-- he needs daily to finance his habit.

'The generation of the 70's is dying'
'The generation of the 80's is already dead
-- not all, not 100%.
But 50% are killing themselves before a
natural death.'