The drug tragedy in Astrakhan revealed the scale of the problem
“Citizens of all ages were affected”
The mass poisoning of drug addicts in Astrakhan clearly showed: the infection has captured the city, entangled and seduced residents of all ages. One batch of the potion poisoned at least 26 people. At a minimum, because victims continue to be admitted to hospitals, and there are four bodies in the city morgue. If we consider that, most likely, not all victims sought help, the scale of drug addiction in a single city is even more striking.
The first drug addict was admitted to the toxicology department of the city hospital on the night of November 18. It was 42-year-old T., an experienced drug addict. It's amazing how he even made it to that age. His worn-out body was the first to fail. Now the man is in extremely serious condition. I took the drug at home. Delivered from the apartment.
Then the victims poured into the hospital one after another. In the morning, 22-year-old E. was brought in. Following her were her friends, 20-year-old and 21-year-old Christina Kh. Both were hospitalized from the same apartment on Krasnoarmeyskaya Street in the Leninsky district of Astrakhan. The girls have known each other since childhood. We went to the same school. Apparently, they started to “cheat” together.
Drug addicts were transported until the morning of Monday, November 20. Some were found in their own apartments - relatives called an ambulance or were able to dial the number themselves. Some were picked up at the entrance. P., a 36-year-old drug addict with a “certificate” who had undergone treatment more than once, was found near a shopping and entertainment center.
Among those admitted, mostly young people are 23-25 years old. Less than half are middle-aged people. There are many eastern surnames. There are people from Dagestan.
Most of the patients are still in serious condition. The most dangerous of them is a coma in a 38-year-old man. He came to Astrakhan to work. He works on a rotational basis and lives with his mother.
Some, mostly younger ones, were sent home. The body is still coping with the load.
Traces of the drug were found in the blood of all victims. In some cases, “dope” was added to the “chemistry” - indicators of cannabinoids were found. The condition of mix lovers is also assessed as serious.
The causes of mass poisoning are sought in the mistakes of an underground laboratory. They say that the criminals “messed up the formula.” According to another version, people who were poisoned by methadone thought that they were buying a more expensive potion. The poisoning occurred due to differences in quality and dosage.
At the same time, those who could not cope with the poison were admitted to the city morgue. As has already been established, similar substances were found in the blood of four victims.
There may be more casualties. Examinations are still underway. The police also admit that they did not find all the deceased.
The police also quickly detained three suspects in the sale of deadly chemicals. They turned out to be citizens from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Everyone is under 25 years old. The migrants admitted that they worked with bookmarks.
It is obvious that detaining three migrants will not solve the problem of drug addiction in the city. Who runs the clandestine laboratories, who runs the criminal business, who organizes the pawnbrokers? There are no questions to these answers yet.
According to official statistics, since the beginning of 2023 in the Astrakhan region, 105 people have suffered from the use of psychoactive substances. At the end of the year, this sad counter was greatly updated. And it made me think: how many people, young and mature, use drugs without consequences and from other, less fatal parties?
And if we translate this case into the field of sociology, then Astrakhan can be considered a separate sample. And then the question becomes even broader. How many of them are drug addicts? Obviously, there are many more than the official figures regularly reported in reports.
