This is from the
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction:
the
Annual report 2007: the state of the drugs problem in EuropeEurope was never so "intoxicated" as this time. Cocaine and psychoactive drugs involve people from 11 on.
Beautiful portrait of a continent that reminds me the last years of the Roman Empire.
Still better figures than US (thanx also to preventing policies), but this is not enough.
Differently from the 60's and 70's (which is just comparative, not justifying), young people use drugs in complete and voluntary unawareness of the social/historical topics. No plans, no projects, no cultural revolution nor social reaction. Just burning out their mind for the evening, that's all.
Here the figures:
"CannabisLifetime prevalence: at least 70 million, or one in five European adults
Last year use: about 23 million European adults or one third of lifetime users
Use in the past 30 days: over 13 million Europeans
Country variation in last year use: 1.0 % to 11.2 %"
"CocaineLifetime prevalence: at least 12 million, or around 4 % of European adults
Last year use: 4.5 million European adults or one third of lifetime users
Use in the past 30 days: around 2 million
Country variation in last year use: 0.1 % to 3 %"
"EcstasyLifetime prevalence: about 9.5 million European adults (3 % of European adults)
Last year use: 3 million or one third of lifetime users
Use in the past 30 days: more than 1 million
Country variation in last year use: 0.2 % to 3.5 %"
"AmphetaminesLifetime prevalence: almost 11 million or around 3.5 % of European adults
Last year use: 2 million, one fi fth of lifetime users
Use in the past 30 days: less than 1 million
Country variation in last year use: 0.0 % to 1.3 %"
"OpioidsProblem opioids use: between one and eight cases per 1 000 adult population (aged 15–64)
Over 7 500 acute drug deaths, with opioids being found in around 70 % of them (2004 data)
Principal drug in about 50 % of all drug treatment requests
More than 585 000 opioid users received substitution
treatment in 2005."
"The EMCDDA has revised its estimate of cocaine use in this report to 4.5 million Europeans having used the drug in the last year, up from 3.5 million in the 2006 annual report. The general picture reported last year of a stabilising situation is also called into question by the new data, which point to an overall increase in use.
The new data confirm cocaine’s place in Europe as overall the second most commonly used illicit drug, after cannabis and ahead of both ecstasy and amphetamine on all measures, and estimates of last month use of cocaine are now more than double those for ecstasy.""Requests for drug treatment for those with cocaine problems are rising. In 2005, cocaine was the primary drug of about 13 % of clients demanding treatment, and in an even higher proportion of those new to treatment (22 %). The number of new treatment demands
reported has roughly tripled over the last five years, and now stands at over 33 000."
The source: Annual Report 2007, EMCDDA website