Pubdate: Sun, 26 Sep 2010
Source: Moscow Times, The (Russia)
Copyright: 2010 The Moscow Times
Contact: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/contact_us/
Website: http://www.moscowtimes.ru/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/903

TOP ANTI-DRUG OFFICIAL LAMENTS LACK OF TREATMENT CENTERS

Russia faces an acute shortage of rehabilitation centers for drug
users, Federal Drug Control Service chief Viktor Ivanov said at a
government meeting Friday.

He also said 30 metric tons of drugs have been seized by law
enforcement and more than 6,000 drug dens have been closed since the
start of the year, RIA-Novosti reported.

More than 90,000 people have been "brought to justice" for
drug-related crimes this year, he said, without elaborating.

During the State Anti-Drug Committee meeting, Ivanov lamented that
Russia lacks a unified, nationwide system of drug rehabs. Despite a
population of 142 million people, the country has only three federal
rehab centers, 27 in-patient hospital rehabs and 50 rehab centers
funded by regional governments.

"That's an extremely small number," Ivanov said.

He added that the nation's hundreds of nongovernmental rehabs centers
were not looked after by the state.

The Health and Social Development Ministry's top drug expert, Yevgeny
Bryun, said in a March interview with RIA-Novosti that Russia has
officially registered more than 500,000 drug users and that the
overall figure was 2 1/2 times higher.
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