” “The Saturday night "rave"” “

The international UN-sponsored Day against drug use and trafficking is to be celebrated on 26 June. This annual Day was called by the United Nations to commemorate the signing of the declaration adopted on the same day in 1987, on the occasion of the International Conference against drug abuse and the illegal traffic of drugs. The theme of the 2002 Day is “Substance abuse and HIV/ AIDS”. The promotional activities include the world launch of two television spots that use football to ram home the message “Sport. Not drugs” and the presentation of a report on the trends of world drug consumption for 2002. The problem of the consumption of drugs is very widespread in various European countries, such as Germany, Great Britain and France. Below we report some experiences of the anti-drug campaign in these countries. Germany. Apart from the traditional drugs, it is also the “new drugs” such as “cocaine and crack, the stimulants (amphetamines) and ecstasy that are causing concern to Stefan Bürkle, head of the Caritas section for health and social questions in Freiburg. The main consumers of the new drugs are the young. Ecstasy, besides, is not even considered a drug by those who consume it. “The work conducted in our counselling services – explains Bürkle – has a preventive character and aims at providing information on the consequences of drug consumption”. The treatment of people with problems of drug dependence “tries to understand all the aspects of the human being, i.e. the physical, psychological and also spiritual aspects. This latter aspect is important because the young often consume substances that create dependence and cause a profound crisis of values and inner void'”. Great Britain. In the UK drugs are classified in various classes according to their level of danger. If the drug belongs to class “C”, its possession does not involve arrest; if it is class “B”, the maximum penalty is approximately 14 years in prison; even harsher penalties are prescribed for drugs of class “A”, such as ecstasy. Last October cannabis was downgraded from class “B” to class “C” and the government decided also to authorize its use for medical purposes. There’s a strong movement of opinion – including some members of parliament and doctors – that would like ecstasy to be ‘depenalized’ since it is considered less dangerous than heroin and cocaine. But a very different view of the matter is taken by the parents of Leah Betts, the teenage girl who died after taking ecstasy tablets during her birthday party in 1995. “If the government decides to downgrade ecstasy it would send the young the wrong message that it’s a safe drug”, said Paul Betts, Leah’s father, in a statement made to the “Daily Telegraph”. “The statistics – he added – prove that ecstasy kills some fifty people per year in the UK. We’ll see many youngsters being treated in psychiatric hospitals, ruined for life” if a more permissive regime for ecstasy is created. Of the same view is John Pridmore, former drug addict and drug trafficker, author of the book “From Gangland to Promised Land”. In an article published in the Catholic weekly “The Tablet”, Pridmore recalls that to die of ecstasy one tablet is enough”. France. French youth are also affected by the problem of drugs. “Indian hemp is not an innocuous product, as many would like us to believe”, says Father Pierre de Parcevaux, who was appointed by Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger three years ago as delegate for families and children affected by drug addiction. He is also vice-president of the association “la luciole” (“the firefly”) founded in 1995, run by the parents of drug addicts and recognized by the interministerial mission of the campaign against drug addiction. According to Father Parcevaux, one youth out of four in the age group 15-19 regularly consumes hashish and/or alcohol. There are many drug addicts among politicians and the authorities do not act with sufficient determination. The last law against drugs dates back to 1970, followed by that of 16 December 1992 which introduced harsher penalties for drug trafficking. In June 1999 a circular was issued with new directives concerning the campaign against drug trafficking. Meantime, according to surveys, 17% of public opinion is in favour of the commercialization of light drugs.