Drugs, “changing” market

Europe still is a large market for drug smugglers, turning into a large cannabis manufacturer. Heroin, that once was the primary ‘killer’, now seems to play a ‘less central role’, while cocaine continues to be very widespread and the consumption of “new drugs”, available at “accessible prices” in all cities, near discos, schools and train stations is surging. A dynamically worrying picture emerges from the annual report of the European Monitoring Centre for Drug and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), presented November 15. Drugs lead to death, hospitalization and imprisonment. It leads family to grow poorer. “Shooting up”, assuming powders and pills ruin the lives of thousands of youths.A complex picture. “While cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines continue to be the main players on the stimulant scene, they are now competing with a growing number of emerging synthetic drugs, such as cathinones, one of the largest groups of new drugs being reported in Europe today”. The European Agency with head offices in Lisbon, presented its annual report on the phenomenon of drug – addiction across Europe. Experts remark: “Europe is faced with an increasingly complex stimulant market, in which consumers are confronted with a wide variety of powders and pills”. Other stimulants are also under scrutiny, and there are signs of methamphetamine making further inroads into the market”. The OEDT report highlights a slight decrease in heroin consumption and a “change in consumption models”. Since the 1970s, heroin has held centre stage in Europe’s drugs scene and is still responsible for the largest share of drug-related diseases and deaths in the EU”, states the Report. But while “heroin-related problems continue, they do so at lower levels”. “We may now be moving into a new era in which heroin will play a less central role in Europe’s drugs problem”.The cocaine case. Over the last decade, “cocaine has established itself as the most commonly used illicit stimulant drug in Europe, although most users are found in a small number of western EU countries”. Around “15.5 million Europeans (15-64 years) have tried cocaine in their lifetime, around 4 million having used it in the last year”. Of the 23 countries providing trend data on cocaine, “today’s data confirm the analysis in last year’s report that its popularity and image as a ‘high-status drug’ may be declining”. While “some countries still report rising cocaine consumption, recent surveys of cocaine use reveal some positive signs in high-prevalence countries”. “Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Italy and the UK for example – the five countries with highest levels of use – report some decline in last-year cocaine use among young adults”. The reduction in consumption, for the Observatory, can be explained with the fact that “potential users may now be more aware of the negative consequences that can accompany cocaine consumption”. Furthermore, lower quality of circulating cocaine “could induce consumers to pass to other drugs”.Knowing to counter. The diffusion of stimulating and synthetic drugs is rapidly growing across Europe “creating a fastly’evolving market that is hard to control”. “More than ever before, young people are exposed to a plethora of powders and pills. Data from emergency rooms, toxicology reports and drug treatment centres indicate that the associated risks are not always well known by the users”. Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, in charge of drug-combating measures, sadly commented on the EMCDDA report. Figures and date confirms that the European society cannot be distracted in the fight on the “new” and “old” drugs, which fuel organized crime activity, illegal markets and capital movements, threatening youths and leading adults and families to ruin. Not to mention the “social costs” on health and labour. “In addressing these new challenges’, adds EMCDDA Director Wolfgang Götz, “it is critical that we improve our understanding of the health and social impact of emerging trends and develop measures to reduce demand. To do this, better forensic and toxicological analysis is essential; as is the need to proactively engage with those most at risk”.Further information on the drugs (including ecstasy, mefedrone and further 48 substances) and the ongoing responses in EU countries can be found in the EMCDDA report: www.emcdda.europa.eu.