Europe 'struggling to tackle drug addiction'

Categories

Addiction Treatment
Alcohol
Drugs
Gambling
In the papers
On TV

News Archive

Home » News » Drugs » Europe 'struggling to tackle drug addiction'

by Change | 6 Nov 2009

Bookmark

E-mail

Cocaine and heroin addiction continue to be a problem for European countries and the European Union has had little impact in curbing their use, although addiction and use of softer drugs such as cannabis has fallen in the past year, new data shows.

New figures compiled by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and drug addiction have revealed that the European Union (EU) has failed in efforts to curb the use of and addiction to hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin in the past year.

According to the data collected by the organisation, heroin use is now "stable", whereas it had previously been falling, while there is "little to suggest" there has been any reduction in cocaine use across the EU.

However, the report did reveal that use of cannabis has decreased, particularly among young people, suggesting that some government efforts to create an intervention and cut drug addiction have been having an effect.

The EU countries have been seeking to cut drug addiction through a range of methods and in the UK there has been significant investment in new addiction treatment services over recent years.

Earlier this year, experts in the US announced the creation of a new vaccine which they hope could significantly cut the number of people suffering from cocaine addictions.

Bookmark this: