The massacre continues

Cannabis and cocaine are being stabilized, but other menaces are growing, such as so called “legal highs”. In Europe deaths from drug overdoses remains at a very high numerical level from year to year; even more numerous are those suffering from drug addiction, the diseases connected with it, such as Aids/HIV, and social marginality. The 2011 Report of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), published at the organization’s Lisbon headquarters on 15 November (a document of 120 pages), insists on the need for concerted political and legislative measures at the national and EU levels.Numbers and problems. The economic crisis, the new information technologies and, more generally, some effects of economic and cultural globalization, are increasingly influencing the commercialization and consumption of drugs. João Goulão, Chairman of the EMCDDA, and Wolfgang Götz, Director of the Monitoring Centre, point out: “The current economic difficulties being experienced by numerous European countries are an integral part of the context of our report. Their influence is already perceptible, as demonstrated by the ever growing difficulties in finding funds for services” dedicated to the fight against drugs and support for drug addicts. Nor can it be forgotten that the lack of jobs and the lack of a secure income influence individual behaviour. Moreover, “progress in the field of information technology has transformed almost all aspects of modern life. Therefore, it is no surprise to observe their impact on the phenomenon of drugs. In concrete terms, this influence is manifested not only in the way in which drugs are marketed and sold, but also”, conversely, “in the introduction of new opportunities for prevention and treatment”. “Drug use seems to be relatively stable in Europe”, points out the Monitoring Centre. “And in some areas, such as the consumption of cannabis by young people, positive signals can be observed”. The Report describes, with figures, tables, charts and comments, the situation of the phenomenon in the EU, with particular reference to the consumption of cannabis, amphetamines, ecstasy, ketamine, cocaine, their correlated diseases, and social and healthcare problems. But alongside some positive developments, or those that suggest that the phenomenon has peaked or that some reversal in trend is ascertainable, other particularly negative developments are emerging. The Report states for example: “Developments in the market of synthetic drugs and, more generally, the ways in which a wider range of substances are being consumed by drug users are giving rise to concern”. Moreover, “poly-consumption, including the combination of illegal substances with alcohol and medicines, has become the dominant model in drug use”.Deaths and correlated diseases. “The use of heroin continues to be the main cause of the spread of diseases and deaths linked to drug addiction in the European Union”. The European Monitoring Centre “estimates that there are over 1.3 million regular users of opiates”, and “approximately half drug addicts that begin a specialized therapy in Europe indicate heroin as the main problematic drug”. Those “who use drugs by intravenous injection – says the Report – are among the groups at most risk of mortality and morbidity linked to drug addiction, such as for example the contagion of infections that can be transmitted by blood (Hiv/Aids, hepatitis B or C) and overdose”. In most European countries, “drug use by intravenous injection is associated with the consumption of opiates, though in some cases amphetamines too are assumed by parenteral means”. With regard to deaths from overdose, the EMCDDA estimates that the figure in question is between 10,000 and 20,000 cases per year. “Most victims are males aged between 30 and 40”. For these reasons “the reduction of mortality and morbidity linked to drug use is of central importance for European policies on drug use”, says the EMCDDA document. Organized crime. “Though positive tendencies can be observed in terms of consumption of cocaine and cannabis, we must remain vigilant, especially with regard to the use of the more recent synthetic substances”, says Cecilia Malmström, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, in her comment on the EMCDDA Report. “Anti-drug authorities must continue to combat the organized criminal groups that manage drug trafficking. In the weeks ahead I intend to present legislation on the confiscation and recovery of the proceeds of grave crimes, including drug trafficking”. From the Report we learn that some 14.5 million Europeans have tried out cocaine at least once in their life and some 4 million made use of it last year; 78 million EU citizens have tried cannabis at least once and, of these, 22.5 million used it last year. One specific concern underlined in the Report is raised by so-called “precursors”, chemical products – and so legally marketed – used for manufacturing illegal substances. This is a problem that would need to be tackled at the cross-border level.