MOSCOW. May 19 (Interfax) - The Federal Drug Control Service reports that over half a million Russians were held accountable for drug trafficking in 2010.
"Over 500,000 Russian citizens were brought to book for crimes related to the illegal turnover of drugs," department director of the service Vladimir Golubovsky said at a Wednesday conference on comprehensive security at institutions of higher learning.
"The number of people taking drugs increased nine-fold between 1992 and 2009," he said.
Golubovsky quoted expert estimates that about 100,000 people annually die in Russia of overdose or sicknesses related to drug addiction.
He said that last year 46 tonnes of drugs and psychotropic substances were seized in Russia.
Golubovsky also quoted an anonymous poll conducted on the website of his service and involving about 10,000 school and college students in which 23% of respondents said they had received offers to try drugs.
Also 41% of the polled felt that the tightening of punishment for trafficking could be one of the measures reducing the spread of drug addition. Besides, 56% named the absence of affordable athletic clubs as a reason for the spread of drug addiction among young people. In addition, 76% spoke in favor of the introduction of mandatory testing of the use of drugs at educational institutions and on the job.