By Martin Banks - 23rd June 2011
We are continually reminded of the complexity of the drugs phenomenon
Wolfgang Gotz
A new report says that drug use in Europe still represents a "major threat" to public health.
The report, by the EU's drugs agency, the European monitoring centre for drugs and drugs addiction (EMCDDA), says narcotic abuse is responsible for between 7000 and 8000 fatal overdoses every year in the EU.
It also says that Europe's drugs problem is changing, with more problems now associated with the use of "stimulant" drugs, such as cocaine, with new substances increasingly appearing on the European market.
Publication of the report is timely as it comes amid a review of the EU drug strategy 2005–12.
The agency's director Wolfgang Götz said, "Preventing drug use and offering effective treatment to those with substance use problems are central pillars of Europe's response to drugs.
"A key achievement since the 1990s has been the scaling up of care for drug users. Today, at least one million people in the EU receive some form of treatment for drug problems per year."
The EMCDDA says that, currently, between 50 and 100 million clean needles and syringes are exchanged or distributed to drug injectors in the EU annually.
"Such measures have been linked to both a reduction in new drug-related HIV infections and an overall decline in levels of injecting drug use.
"These improvements have not only been quantitative, but also qualitative. Interventions today have a stronger evidence base than in the past and evaluation has become a core element of drug policy in many countries.
"This is also the case at EU level where the EU drug strategy is currently undergoing an external evaluation."
"These developments also reflect the increased focus on public health in European drug policies."
The agency says that an example of this shift is Portugal, whose drug policy has attracted significant attention in recent years both in the media and in policy debates.
Götz added, "Portugal's case study illustrates how it took many years of action against an ongoing severe drugs problem to develop a new drug policy model.
"While commentators have focused on its controversial decriminalisation of drug use, it should be noted that this is just one element of Portugal's comprehensive public-health oriented policy."
He went on, "We are continually reminded of the complexity of the drugs phenomenon and that there is no single solution to all of the challenges it presents.
"We should acknowledge the importance of developing innovative responses and evaluating them thoroughly. Without such an approach, many of the interventions which are today at the heart of our drug policies would simply not exist."
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