Cocaine use in Europe is falling and may have peaked, partly because of the impact of austerity measures according to a recent report. The European Union’s drug agency, (the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, EMCDDA) writes in their annual report that Europe’s cocaine use is falling and may have peaked due to the tough economy and partly because the drug is no longer seen as part of the affluent lifestyle image.
However, the risk of HIV among heroin users could increase due to drug agency budget cuts as Europe adopts stricter austerity measures. HIV epidemics among drug injectors continued to pose “a major health problem for many countries bordering the EU”, the agency stated.
Greece reported a large outbreak of new HIV infections among drug injectors in July, with 170 known cases to date, the report said. Recent increases in infections were also found in Bulgaria, Estonia and Lithuania.
Heroin use in Europe was relatively stable, where there are an estimated 1.3 million regular users, the agency said. But there were also “positive signs that cocaine use may have peaked and that cannabis use continues to decline among young people”.
Approximately four million people in Europe used cocaine last year, according to the Lisbon-based EMCDDA, the agency that collects and analyzes information for European policymakers.
But the report also stated that Denmark, Spain, Italy and the UK, which are among the countries with the highest levels of cocaine use, reported a decline in use in 2010, echoing a similar trend in the US and Canada.
“The financial burden associated with regular cocaine use may make it a less attractive option in countries where austerity is now the order of the day” the report said. Also according to the EMCDDA report, “the drug’s ‘positive image’ as part of an affluent lifestyle, is being challenged by a growing recognition of cocaine-related problems,” including increasing numbers of hospital emergencies and deaths.
Furthermore, the report states that heroin use continues to account for the largest share of drug-related disease and deaths in the EU, but the number of fatal overdoses – 7,600 reported in 2009 – may be “just the tip of the iceberg.” There may be as many as “10,000 to 20,000 problem opioid users who are dying each year in Europe” from overdoses, disease, suicide and other causes.
The fact remains that there are still millions of cocaine users in Europe and around the world. Families still despair of saving loved ones who go to rehab over and over again in attempts to recover from addiction.
What do you do if you have a cocaine problem? Or, your family member is hooked on cocaine? Narconon has been helping cocaine addicts to get free of their addiction and staying clean and drug-free for over forty years. Narconon uses a holistic, drug-free approach to drug rehab that works! There are Narconon centers in fifty countries on six continents of the world.
Narconon school drug education programs are also available to help kids understand the dangers of using drugs. Call today to schedule a drug education presentation.
Resources:
http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/annual-report/2011
www.emcdda.europa.eu/events/2011/annual-report