Drug-related death toll down in Russia - drug control service
MOSCOW. March 12 (Interfax) - Russia has succeeded in decreasing the drug-related death toll in the country, Director of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service, Viktor Ivanov, said.
"The death toll in the 15-34 age group fell 33% in the past five years," Ivanov said at a drug control service meeting in Moscow on Tuesday.
"The objective data showed that thanks to the consolidation of efforts of law enforcement agencies, the rate of criminal and drug-related offenses has decreased and the drug situation in the country has been stabilized," Ivanov said.
Ivanov said that the Russian law enforcement agencies between them impounded around 100 tonnes of drugs in 2012.
Russia is disturbed by an increasing amount of heroine coming from Afghanistan through Central Asian countries, Ivanov said.
Ivanov has said that Russia had become the number one heroine user in the world. The annual drug-related death toll in Russia is up to 100,000 people, Ivanov said.
In June 2012, Ivanov said that the latest research of the drug control service has shown that 8.5 million people in Russia use drugs regularly or occasionally. A total of 18.5 Russians used drugs at least once in their lives.