Drugs: A European Topic
Europe’s common strategy Assuming that drugs is an important topic for a common European policy regarding the criminal dealing of drugs as far as the impact on public health, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) researches developments in Europe. As one can see in the Centre’s last report (2006) the European cooperation including a new common drug strategy for the period of 2005 - 2012 and two action plans is increasing. One can understand this strategy as a consensus of European member states how to deal with the drug problem. Although remarkable differences still exist among national drug policies one can find elements of prevention, therapy and the limitation of damage in nearly every national plan. The report also shows that one has to broaden the common understanding of drug problems. Despite the fact that 60 % of people asking for a therapy still suffer from addictions to opioids, the consume of cannabis will influence public health more and more.
Drug markets
Heroin consumed in Europe mostly comes from Afghanistan which is the world’s biggest heroin distributor right now. The rising amounts of heroin that has been seized stressed that on one hand common measures against drug dealing are essential but on the other hand one has to think further about possible developments of the European market. The general trend of prices and markets show that not only heroin but all drug prices decreased in the last four years. This year report highlights alarming indicators. Whereas the number of drug-related deaths has been falling since 2000, one can find a little increase in most of the European countries in 2004. Even though one cannot proof it yet that could mean the beginning of a worrying trend.
Drug consumes and drug dealing: a difference of rising significance
One of the important statements the report points out is a need for differentiation between the consume of drugs and the drug markets. Statistics prove that changes in the national drug policies which distinguish between the elements of a crime 'possession of drugs for personal use' and 'drug dealing' incrementally continue. In general one can say that the penalties for dealing are much stricter compared to those for possession. This development relates to the common idea of supporting therapeutical measures and programmes and help drug addicts to rehabilitate. The problem that remains is the definition of the amount of drugs one sets as the upper limit for personal use. As there is still no common agreement nation states decide about these limits on their own.
Hard and soft drugs: cannabis gains growing popularity
Another differentiation that has developed is the public attitude towards different kinds of drugs namely soft and hard drugs. One has not to be an expert on the drug topic to realise that cannabis is very popular at the moment. Data show that cannabis is by far the illegal substance most commonly used in Europe. Recent population surveys indicate that between 2 % to 31 % of adults (aged 15 to 64 years) have tried the substance at least once, depending on the country. Cannabis users were already third after consumers of tranquillisers and opiates in 2002, and they accounted for 14% of all treated users. A major increase of 109% was observed in the number of cannabis users in 2003, a pattern which also continued in 2004 (21% increase).
At the same time public movements which support the legalisation of cannabis gained growing support in many European Countries like for example in Hungary. Here an organisation called „Hemp Seed Association“ organised a demonstration titled „Let the people be free” as a part of the international campaign „Million Marijuana March” in May 2004. The Association published their aims in a petition to the head of parliament stating that drug users should not be punished by imprisonment, there should be a distinction between soft and hard drugs in the legislation and demanded the implementation of a parliamentary case committee which would recommend necessary proposals. The demonstration and the petition gained great response in the media and were further supported by different liberal civil organisations.
A second evidence for the changing public attitude towards drugs can be found in the public media. There was a study dealing with the topic how the drug problem is conveyed in the media and how the media influences the public opinion. The research observed 526 articles a year between 2000 and 2004. Whereas the media mainly focused on a criminal image of drugs at the beginning the growing relevance of drugs for the public health and the health service shifted the whole press coverage. In contrast to 2000 the media coverage is now to a greater extent affected by governmental campaigns and a social opening also giving some information.
Attitude of youth towards drugs
Although drug use is generally more accepted in younger age groups also supporting a liberalisation of drug policies one cannot find a careless attitude towards drug use. Between 56.8% and 67.9% of interviewed teenagers considered the experiment with illicit drugs moderate or even very dangerous in 2004. Regarding the regular use of drugs even 70.3 % - 82.6% of moderate or very dangerous responses were given. Nevertheless, the respondents distinguish between the risk of regular, occasional and experimental use of drugs as far as between the risks of different drugs compared to older studies. The answers given by youngsters were not influenced neither by the type of school they went to nor by their age. Research findings also indicate that the use of illicit drugs is rather disapproved than accepted by students although one has to distinguish the type of drug. The experimental as far as the regular use of cannabis for example is less seen as a danger in comparison to the general attitude towards illicit drugs especially from those who had contact to drugs one or more times. A majority of students (57%) agreed that drug use is an illness and addicts should therefore get the opportunity to recover.
