MOSCOW, November 25 (RAPSI) – President Vladimir Putin has signed a law giving courts the right to oblige drug addicts and drug users to receive medical treatment and also introducing administrative punishment for evading treatment and rehabilitation.

A document to this effect was published on the official legal information website on Monday.

The law reads that courts may oblige drug addicts and persons who use narcotic or mood-changing substances without prescription to receive medical or preventive treatment, and to undergo medical or social rehabilitation.

Those who evade medical or preventive treatment and medical or social rehabilitation can be fined between 4,000 and 5,000 rubles or detained for 30 days.  Experts estimate that there are about 8 million drug addicts in Russia.