News (Media Awareness Project) - Russia: Putin Sees Drug Disaster |
| Title: | Russia: Putin Sees Drug Disaster |
| Published On: | 2002-09-05 |
| Source: | New York Times (NY) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-22 02:58:40 |
RUSSIA: PUTIN SEES DRUG DISASTER
President Vladimir V. Putin declared drug addiction the equivalent of a
natural disaster, citing new figures showing Russia has 500,000 registered
drug users, three-quarters of them under 30. Experts say the true figure
may be four or five times as great. While there has been a relative decline
in drug use among the young, "we cannot afford to sit idly by," Mr. Putin
said. Drug use has grown since the Soviet collapse in 1991, largely because
Russia's southern borders have been porous routes for smugglers of opium
and heroin.
President Vladimir V. Putin declared drug addiction the equivalent of a
natural disaster, citing new figures showing Russia has 500,000 registered
drug users, three-quarters of them under 30. Experts say the true figure
may be four or five times as great. While there has been a relative decline
in drug use among the young, "we cannot afford to sit idly by," Mr. Putin
said. Drug use has grown since the Soviet collapse in 1991, largely because
Russia's southern borders have been porous routes for smugglers of opium
and heroin.
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