The Moscow Times are reporting that football fans will be able to bring marijuana, cocaine and heroin to World Cup events in Russia as long as they have proper documentation.
Provided that fans fill out the necessary forms fans will be able to bring substances such as medical marijuana, cocaine and heroin into the football stadiums.
The Moscow-based Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), a joint economic trade bloc of countries including Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, allows for certain banned narcotic and psychotropic drugs to be brought into the country if carriers have the supporting medical documentation. The Russian-led union of nations gives foreign travellers the right to carry drugs including cannabis and cocaine with the proper prescription papers.
The EAEU said at a committee meeting on Tuesday that there will be security officers in place at various checkpoints at stadium grounds to enforce the rules for carrying these substances.
The transfer and movement of drugs into the region falls under a November 2015 ruling from the Eurasian Economic Commission (ECE). Under these regulations, travellers can bring a limited amount of drugs into EAPC countries only when accompanied with “supporting medical documents indicating the name and quantity of goods.” The same 2015 ECE regulations allowing these narcotics into Russia also ban such products such as "ozone-depleting substances" as well as animals such as the harp seal.
Other substances allowed into Russia under their current legislation include codeine, morphine, amphetamines and cannabis. But while the fact that people with proper medical reasons for carrying otherwise illegal narcotics seems reasonable it's interesting to note that the Russian authorities are willing to extend that ruling to let them carry narcotics into the World Cup events. Let's hope the bureaucratic loophole is not exploited when fans descend on Russia in mid June.
