Centre charts growing drug use

Date: 03/10/1996

By Mark Turner

UP TO one in six European adults has tried illegal drugs, according to a new study from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) to be published next week.

The centre's annual report also charts a substantial growth in amphetamine and ecstasy abuse by 18 to 20-year-olds since the late 1980s, with one in ten now using such 'dance drugs' in some countries.

The findings are the first to emerge from the EMCDDA since it was established in 1994 in Lisbon.

The centre's director Georges Estievenart says the report, which examines levels of drug use, demand-reduction strategies and the way information is gathered on drug abuse within the Union, clearly points to a growing need for European cooperation.

In an interview with European Voice this week, Estievenart said the widely-varying criteria used by member states continued to create obstacles for those trying to paint an accurate picture of the extent of the problem and draw up common policies to tackle it.

A recent EMCDDA newsletter summed up the problem, warning: “As a result, policy formulation at national and European Union level often tends to be based on speculation rather than hard facts.”

Even so, some clear messages do emerge.

Cannabis continues to be the most widespread illegal drug throughout the EU, with 1 to 5&percent; of people having used it in the last 12 months, and up to 15&percent; in younger age groups.

Cocaine use is rare, but is gradually increasing, and crack smoking has recently emerged as a significant problem among urban marginalised groups.

Less than 1&percent; of the total population has tried heroin, but heroin-related problems are more prominent than those associated with other drugs. The number of EU addicts is between 500,000 and one million (about half the US figure).

High-profile cases aside, many countries have seen a marked rise in drug-related deaths over the last ten years and drug users often form 30 to 40&percent; of the prison population - a trend which Estievenart regards as worrying.

Nevertheless, he says, these are global figures and should be treated with caution. Different countries and different socio-economic groups show very disparate patterns.

Dance drugs, for example, are far more prevalent in northern EU countries, although they are beginning to spread further south, while cocaine seizures have been much larger in southern member states.

And while the stereotypical heroin addict remains fairly true to life - urban and sidelined - other drugs attract different customers.

“A new generation of young people is turning to amphetamines, but they are not necessarily marginalised,” says Estievenart.

A growing body of evidence also suggests that cannabis is being used widely by young professionals in the mainstream of 'respectable society'.

Most EU members have therefore increased investment in demand-reduction programmes.

The report concludes that primary prevention in schools appears the most effective route, saying mass media messages raise awareness but do not cause behaviour shifts. Similarly, more flexible therapies have emerged, with the Netherlands often leading the way.

But precise results have been hard to obtain.

By the very nature of drug use, it is difficult to form an accurate picture of who is doing what. For example, where and when drugs are seized says relatively little about where they are consumed, and social surveys suggest that increased cocaine hauls have not been accompanied by equal increases in consumption.

“There are three possible explanations for this,” explains Estievenart. “Either the social surveys or the police data could be unreliable or, alternatively, we could be seeing the building of stockpiles of cocaine. The other explanation is that it is shipped elsewhere.”