‘Narcotic Apocalypse’

Dec. 1, 2010

Drug abuse in Russia has reached “apocalyptic” proportions, with more than 100,000 people aged 15 to 30 killed by the habit every year, Federal Drug Control Service head Viktor Ivanov said Wednesday, Interfax reported.

Afghan heroin and codeine-based drugs that can be made using legal medicine take the biggest toll, he said, while the poor rehabilitation system also contributes to the crisis. Russia has about 80 state-funded centers, compared with China’s 600, and provides no post-treatment support to former addicts, 90 percent of whom relapse, he said.

(MT)

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