MOSCOW. April 1 (Interfax) - The overdose mortality rate in Moscow grew significantly in 2012, the city prosecutor's office reported on Monday.
"Judging by statistic reports, the number of female and underage drug addicts grew to 5,968 and 313 correspondingly. Some 3,231 people were taken to the hospital with narcotic drug poisoning. The overdose mortality rate grew from 874 to 1,198, the female mortality rate went up from 112 to 154 and the teenage mortality rate increased from three to six," says the report published after the office's meeting on drug crimes.
Moscow had over 27,000 registered drug addicts last year, in addition to more than 6,000 persons on preventive records, the office said.
"The number of crimes committed under the influence of drugs, including serious crimes and theft, has grown a lot in the city. The number of persons committing crimes under the influence of drugs has doubled," the report said.
The rate of drug-related crimes, including drug dealing, enlarged by almost 13% (from 10,785 in 2011 to 12,168 in 2012). More than 450 kilograms of narcotics, including 129 kilograms of heroin and 130 kilograms of synthetic drugs, were impounded.
"Anti-drug measures were adequate to the scale and degree of drug accessibility," the office said.
Drug crimes are often latent and poorly solved (46.5% of the total number), especially drug dealing (28.5%), and labs making synthetic drugs are practically not uncovered, said speakers at the meeting.
They also said that outlawed smoke mixes containing drugs, which were mostly smuggled in mail parcels from abroad, were still common in the city.