DEFINITIONS AND TERMINOLOGY USED TO DESCRIBE THE CRIMES RELATED TO ILLEGALTRAFFICKING OF NARCOTIC DRUGS AND PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES
The key terms the legislator uses when describing the group of drug-related crimes are "drugs", "psychotropic substances", "analogs" of these substances and their "precursors". As some of the crimes mentioned can be considered cross-border crimes, it is essential that national definitions are in harmony with one another. The author investigates these terms and finds out that in the Russian legislation, viz. in the Criminal Code, in the federal law "On Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances", and in the governmental decree "On approval of the list of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors subject to control in the Russian Federation", there is no clear distinction between "drugs" and "psychotropic substances", moreover the term "analogs" duplicates them and is very vaguely worded, which altogether forms ground for the misuse of law. Also, the term "analogs" is missing in the international law. In the presented article the author makes use of the following methods: comparative law, literal interpretation, she also involves interpretation of the sources of international law. In the study the author finds the difference between the terms "drugs" and "psychotropic substances". As a conclusion of her study the author offers her definition of the term "analogues of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.".