Around 80 people die from drug abuse in Russia every day, the country's Interior Minister said on Wednesday.
During a radio interview, Rashid Nurgaliyev also cited figures that indicate the annual drugs death toll in Russia is approximately 30,000.
He also told the Militsyeiskaya Volna radio station that "over 550,000 people" were registered with health authorities as suffering from drug addiction last year.
"The growth rate of drug addiction threatens our nation," he said.
Nurgaliyev said that the large majority of drugs used in Russia come from Afghanistan.
He cited the low levels of social-economic development in the Central Asian region as one of the main factors in the trafficking of Afghan drugs to Russia and other countries.
Nurgaliyev's statement comes in the wake of the international anti-drugs forum "Afghan Drug Production: a Challenge to the International Community," which was held in Moscow on June 9-10.
The forum discussed ways of stopping drug traffic from Afghanistan.
Afghan drug production increased dramatically after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban in 2001. Russia, which has suffered a steep rise in heroin consumption, has been one of the countries most affected by the increase.
MOSCOW, June 16 (RIA Novosti)
