OREANDA-NEWS Russia took 48th out of 50 places in the ranking of countries on the financial availability of drugs. This is stated in the study Bloomberg.

The average Russian must spend more than 82% of his weekly income to purchase a "standard basket of drugs" based on Bloomberg's calculations (a gram of amphetamine, a gram of marijuana, a gram of cocaine and a gram of opioids, including heroin).

At the same time, weekly income was calculated as 1/52 of GDP per capita for 2018. The authors did not indicate whether purchasing power was taken into account in the calculation of GDP.

The study is not only about the illegal acquisition of drugs. "Marijuana, cocaine and heroin are allowed for recreational or medical use in various jurisdictions," the Agency notes. In Russia, the sale of drugs for any purpose is prohibited, with the exception of drugs containing drugs, released on medical grounds strictly on prescription.

As a result, it turned out that the average weekly income of Russians was $211, and the cost of the "drug basket" — $174.

In terms of relative financial availability, Russia is ahead only of China and Japan. There to purchase a "standard basket of drugs" you need to spend accordingly and a 93.6 95.2% of weekly earnings. Both countries were close, despite the huge difference in the average weekly income of citizens: in China it is equal to $ 185 at the cost of a “basket” of $173, and in Japan — $771 at the cost of a “standard set of drugs” $735 (more than 95% of the weekly income).

The most affordable drugs from a financial point of view were for the inhabitants of Luxembourg. With an average per capita weekly income of $2,191, the basket is worth $197, or 9%. This is followed by the Netherlands (9.2%), Uruguay (11.5%), Costa Rica (13.2%) and Chile (16.7%). France and Germany took eighth and ninth places (almost 18% in both countries), the UK (21.5%) became the 16th, and Sweden closed the top twenty (almost 27%).

In the US, to purchase a " standard drug basket "you need to spend more than 70% of the weekly income of $1202 (44th place), while in neighboring Canada only 35.6% (the cost of the" basket " $320, weekly income-$899). At the same time, it is noted that the "drug basket" has risen in price by 40% over the past year, and the emphasis in the fight against drug addiction has shifted. "Some States are easing restrictions on cannabis, while at all levels there is a campaign against the abuse of legal opioids that kill tens of thousands of Americans," Bloomberg notes. ​

The Agency has traditionally called its research "sin rating". This year, the material retained its name, although Bloomberg did not take into account other costs, such as alcohol and tobacco, when assessing the related costs.