Culture
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Russia has been on the list of leading countries in terms of drug use, in particular heroin, for many years. According to UNODC estimates, Russia consumes 75-80 tons of heroin, the most dangerous drug, every year.
This is twice as much as China, with its billion people, and 3.5 times more than the US and Canada combined. According to the State Anti-Drug Committee, 220 drug addicts are added to the country every day. Currently, there are more than 2.5 million drug addicts in Russia, most of whom use opiates, that is, heroin.
More than 30,000 of them die each year. Unfortunately, only 1 in 10 can quit drugs, and the rest will die and die soon. The life expectancy of a drug addict in Russia is 28 years.
Afghanistan is the absolute leader in drug production. A report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime states that 900 tons of opium and 375 tons of heroin are exported from the country every year. Every 10th person in the country cultivates opium poppy. The revenues from heroin trafficking to Russia are estimated at more than $17 billion. More than 15 of them go to the bank accounts of transnational criminal groups and terrorist organizations.
Experts believe that the active production of heroin in Afghanistan began in 2001, when coalition forces were brought to the country. Since then, production has increased 40 times. It may seem that the fight against drug trafficking is not a priority for NATO and the US. The money allocated for this purpose is spent, for example, on the elimination of illicit crops by spraying from the air (the method works very well in Colombia). Interestingly, Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of UNODC, actually supported the abandonment of the crop eradication program. He proposed creating conditions that would lead to lower opium prices so that farmers would stop growing it together with other crops.
The Russian Anti-Drug Committee believes that this can only happen if the world is flooded with heroin. Many experts suspect that the US military is profiting from drug trafficking. Today, Afghanistan's opium reserves are estimated at 12,000 tons.
Heroin dominates the drug market and 90 per cent of drug doses are made from it. It is very important to identify the problem and form a broad coalition so that we can work together to eliminate drug production. The heroin epidemic that has swept Russia and threatens Europe could become a real global catastrophe.
Heroin consumption in the world is 345 tons per year.
Russia — 75 tons;
Europe (except Turkey and Russia) — 88;
China — 45;
USA — 26;
Africa — 25;
Pakistan — 19;
India — 17;
Iran — 14;
Afghanistan — 2;
Turkey: 0.8.
Expert estimate of the $65 billion global opium market:
Europe: 20 billion (26 per cent);
Russia: 13 (20);
USA and Canada: 8 (13);
China: 8 (13);
Africa: 3 (6);
South and South East Asia: 3 (5);
India: 3 (5);
Iran: 2 (3);
Others – 5 (9).