This study is the research component of the larger project, "Immediate Technical Assistance on the Control and Prevention of Drugs and Related Organized Crime in the Russian Federation," which was begun in 1998 by the UNODCCP in cooperation with the Russian authorities. Field research was conducted by Russian scientists and outreach workers in nine cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg. In cooperation with Russian authorities, the author additionally analyzed a wide sample of drug-related judicial verdicts and intelligence documents that were previously inaccessible to scholars. The first chapter of this report presents an overview of the illegal drug demand and supply in Russia throughout the 20th century, with a focus on the last two decades of the Soviet regime. The second chapter traces the evolution of illegal drug use after 1991, with a discussion of the users themselves. In analyzing local drug markets, the third chapter describes their growth and the diversification of the drug supply in the 1990's, reviewing the psychoactive substances that are most commonly used in Russia today. In addition, the chapter analyzes the geography and social organization of retail markets. Drug production and trafficking are the main themes of the fourth chapter, followed by a chapter on traffickers and dealers that encompasses their ethnic origin, organization, and methods. Drug dealers' involvement in other illegal activities and their relations with other sectors of Russian organized crime are also examined. The concluding chapter reviews current Russian drug policy, with attention to law enforcement's counternarcotics strategies and action, as well as brief discussions of prevention, treatment, and harm reduction. This research concludes that Russia is experiencing an escalation of illegal drug consumption and trade, which is fostered by a significant social, political, and economic crisis; however, contrary to the belief of most observers, the production, smuggling, and sale of illegal drugs are not dominated thus far by large-scale criminal organizations. Currently, the trade in illegal drugs is conducted by a myriad of small groups, clans, gangs, and individuals that are independent of one another. 228 references and appended questionnaire on drugs, organized crime, drug policies, and law enforcement