It is necessary to toughen punishment for drug trafficking...

It is necessary to toughen punishment for drug trafficking and drug-related crimes up to the life in prison and the death penalty, said participants during hearings at the State Duma. The hearings focused on drug trafficking as a challenge to the Russian national security and integrity.
"The drug trafficking and abuse in Russia have an increasingly negative effect on the psychological atmosphere in society, the economy, politics, law and order, and health of the nation," a member of the Duma Security Committee Gennady Gudkov said.
Experts say there are 3 million drug addicts in Russia, while the official rate is over 450,000.
The high demand for narcotic drugs triggers drug-related crimes, Gudkov said. The rate of drug-related crimes went up 15 times over the past decade. The mortality rate amongst drug addicts has increased 12 times (42 times amongst children).