Schoolchildren in Mordovia poisoned with hallucinogen

7 schoolchildren aged 11-15 from one of the country towns in the republic of Mordovia in central Russia. They have been diagnosed as being poisoned with the substance analogous to a hallucinogen of the BZ type. BZ stands for Quinuclidinyl benzilate which is a mind-altering drug. According to some sources, this hallucinogen is classified as up to 100 times more powerful than LSD. BZ is also considered an anti-radiation drug. It is now known yet how much of the substance have been swallowed by the children. It has turned out that the drug was brought to town and distributed by a 15-yearold boy who came there from Saransk, Mordovia’s capital, to see his grandmother. Police is currently trying to spot the source of the pernicious drug. Last year, local police seized the order of 40,000 pills of the drug in schools and companies.

IGOR TELIN SARANSK