| Author (Person) | Banks, Martin |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.9, No.35, 23.10.03, p12 |
| Publication Date | 23/10/2003 |
| Content Type | News |
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By Martin Banks Date: 23/10/03 ENLARGEMENT could "fan the flames" of an already serious drugs problem in the European Union, a major new report warns. It claims that some east European countries are threatened by the "most rapidly developing HIV epidemic" in the world, caused by addicts using contaminated needles. Infection in at least two accession states, Estonia and Latvia, is spreading at an "alarming" rate, it adds. Many countries due to join the Union next year are blighted by a lack of political will to deal with the problem and under-developed drug treatment services, according to the annual report of the Lisbon-based European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Addiction. This comes against the backdrop of a continuing serious drug problem in existing member states, with many reporting particular concern about rising cocaine use. The agency's executive director, Georges Estievenart, said: "EU enlargement throws up an array of public concerns that cannot be ignored. "Among these are increased drug trafficking, escalating drug use in new member states and the spread of infectious diseases." The report pinpoints accession states as having a particular problem with injecting drug users (IDUs), highlighting a 282% rise in newly-diagnosed HIV infections among IDUs in Estonia and a 67% increase in Latvia. "Increasing HIV prevalence among IDUs poses a potential threat for a spread of the virus to the wider population," states the report. "This makes strengthening public health measures a must if HIV epidemics among IDUs and the general population are to be averted." It goes on to state that, while all ten accession countries have implemented preventive measures, provision and coverage are "too limited" in most. Turning to the situation in the current EU-15, the report reveals almost all member states show concern about rising cocaine use, particularly in Germany, the UK, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark. It found a marked rise in cocaine seizures in major cities, but indicates these hauls are just the tip of the iceberg. Other key findings in the report include:
However, the overall number of annual drug-related deaths in the EU has remained relatively stable, at about 8,700, and European figures on use of crack cocaine remain low. The report highlights that drug abuse is particularly prevalent among certain groups, including immigrants, the homeless and prisoners. One factor for this is that the treatment and harm-reduction measures common elsewhere in society are largely unavailable to immigrants and the homeless. Unveiling the report at the European Parliament yesterday (22 October), Estievenart said: "Although there are some grounds for cautious optimism when explaining the European drugs problem, these are outweighed by concern that we are not having sufficient impact on severe, long-term drug use or on regular drug use by a worrying number of young people in many EU countries. "What is more, the drug-use trend remains upwards and new problems are emerging, such as growing cocaine use in some big cities. "On a more positive side, we see Europe developing a more coordinated approach to the drugs problem and, overall, there is better understanding of what works." Report of the 2003 annual report of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Addiction launched 22 October 2003. |
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