Children and teenagers began to die from drug use 2.5 times more often

The number of deaths of children and adolescents from the use of narcotic substances in five years (2017-2022) increased by 2.5 times. In addition, for the first time in four years, the number of drug crimes committed by minors has increased over the past nine months. This was told by the head of the main department for drug control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation Ivan Gorbunov.

“Of particular concern is the increase in the number of poisonings, including fatal ones, from drug use, especially among adolescents. So, since 2017, the number of such deaths among minors has increased by 2.5 times,” said Mr. Gorbunov at a meeting of the Board of Trustees in the government (quoted by RIA Novosti). At the same time, the number of underage drug users registered by the Ministry of Health and the Federal Penitentiary Service has decreased by 40%.

There has been an increase in the number of children and adolescents who have committed drug-related crimes “in the form of complicity”. Since 2017, their number has increased by 56%, to 734 people. Ivan Gorbunov expects this trend to continue until the end of the year.

In 2021 drugs consumed 390 thousand Russians, 227 thousand of them were diagnosed with drug addiction. At the same time, the statistics do not include cases of treatment in private clinics. Most people with this diagnosis are between the ages of 18 and 39. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova called such figures “alarming.”

Anastasia Larina