To mark International Women’s Day, the European Watchdog on Drugs (EMCDDA) has published a study, according to which ever more European women are making use of drugs. According to the watchdog’s experts, there has been a “closing of the gap” in Europe over the last few years, caused especially by a rise in drug use among women students and adolescents. Despite the fact that men remain the major consumers of drugs, the report says that girls “are increasing their use of drugs on a par with their male contemporaries, so that in future we will have more similar models of consumption between the two sexes”. EMCDDA also identifies drug type, age group and consumption modes as key factors in the differences in drug use between men and women. In particular, girls in the age group between 15 and 16 show greater abuse of tranquillisers and sedatives, whereas their male contemporaries mainly smoke cannabis. For further information: http://www.emcdda.eu.int/mlp/ms_it-index.shtml
