The referendum might coincide with the December State Duma elections, Rossel's press service told Interfax. Rossel blasted the work of the regional Interior Department. Rossel gave the department a month to restore order. Drug abuse locations must be identified and trafficking thwarted, he said. Sverdlovsk regional deputy governor Semyon Spektr reported an unprecedented surge in drug abuse, especially among teenagers.
Regional doctors compare the scale of drug abuse to an epidemic.
Over 10,000 drug addicts will probably be registered in the region at the beginning of next year, doctors said.