The New Soviet Narkoman: Drugs and Youth in Post-Stalinist Russia

Soviet officials routinely remarked that the Bolshevik Revolution had destroyed the socioeconomic base from which drug use and addiction sprung. Yet, authorities also anxiously reported rising instances of drug use among Soviet youth during the 1950s and 1960s. Through the use of recently declassified Komsomol and police documents from Russian archives, this article examines both the consumptive practices of youth and the measures taken by Soviet authorities to combat this development. Within the liberalizing climate of the Khrushchev-era “Thaw,” youth authorities crafted educational and cultural strategies to draw youth away from narcotics. Beginning in the mid-1960s, their emphasis shifted to favor openly punitive strategies as a means of curbing the illegal drug supply and discouraging usage. Contrary to official rhetoric, the consumption of narcotics did not necessarily constitute a political statement or indicate opposition to Soviet power. Instead, drugs could provide an alluring alternative to state-sanctioned leisure practices.