Drug tide flew over Russia

Drug is the scourge of today’s society.

In Soviet times, this seemed to be an attribute of Western life, while now it is Russian reality.

According to the data of Russian Internal Affairs Ministry, within last 10 years, non-medical consume of drug increased more than 20 times in Russia. In particular, in the first six months of this year, narcological institutions of Russia registered more than 496,000 persons overdoing drug, Mikhail Mikhailov, deputy chief of Illegal Drug Overturn Office of Russian Internal Ministry reported.

He added that this figure was by 5.5 percent bigger than that one of last year. Moreover, 335,600 people undergo medical treatment in narcological dispensaries. “According to the experts, the real number of drug consumers in Russia is 5 to 8 times bigger,” – the Illegal Drug Overturn Office official reported.

The figures are really painful, though that are only figures. While behind them there are human fates. Of course, the Russian police does not lie idle. Within first six months of this year, 9 tons of marijuana and over 2.8 tons of poppy straw were seized in Russia. Moreover, over 1000 hectares of illegal hemp crops were annihilated, therefore supply of 1.2 tons of marijuana to the illegal market was averted.

According to the Internal Affairs Ministry Office, this drug could have brought to drug barons over 760 million dollars in prices of the black market. Within first six months of 2002, 104 thousand crimes were uncovered, connected with drug.

Unfortunately, this is only a drop in the ocean, while the rest certainly finds its consumer. Well, who will help Russia?

Dmitry Chirkin PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Vera Solovieva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/08/06/45288.html