Drugs, Harms and Youth the State of Drug Use and Harm Reduction Amongst Youth in European Countries

Drugs, harms and youth The state of drug use and harm reduction amongst youth in european countries. 1 www.euro-yoda.org Authors Erlind Plaku, Luca Stefenelli, Martina Markoc, Tijana Zegura, Jan Stola, Ioana Tomus, Jovana Arsenijevic, Andjelka Jelcic, Ayesha Mian 2 Table of contents 4 Introduction 9 Albania 15 I taly 22 Montenegro 28 Poland 34 Romania 41 Serbia 47 United Kingdom 55 Summary 58 Sources 3 Introduction laws, consumption levels, drug cultures and general approaches to the issue of drug use are greatly varied among European countries, ranging between models based mainly on a Public-Health orientated approach This paper was created by young professionals and ac- to harshly punitive ones. tivists working in the fields of harm reduction, drug treatment, public health, social policy and human rights in various European countries: United King- Prevalence dom, Italy, Poland, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Romania. We are all members of Youth Organisa- Almost all around the world young people consume tions for Drug Action, a network that connects and more psychoactive substances, including illegal ones, supports young people who are working to reform than any other demographic of users. This trend is drug policies in Europe, towards a model based on consistent in Europe where according to the European the principles of scientific evidence, human rights and Centre for Drugs and Drug Abuse [EMCDDA], stu- cost-effectiveness. All contributors have both some dents and young adults are the biggest group among educational background and work experience in areas recreational users of illegal drugs. 11.7% of people related to the topic of this paper. aged 15-34 used cannabis at least once in last year. Two-thirds of heavy cannabis users, who were using substance daily or almost daily, were below 34 years Paper’s aim old (EMCDDA, 2013). In this paper we aim to discuss the current situation Just like the differences observed between drug use regarding drug use in Europe among young people in Western vs Eastern European countries, there is a (aged 15-30, with variation in definition across coun- clear difference regarding drug use in different gener- tries) and the availability of services aimed at young ations observed between Western and Eastern, post- drug users or potential users. We will also compare communist, Europe. For a number of reasons includ- approaches adopted in examined countries to show ing travel restrictions, existence of police states and which has proven to be to be most effective at reduc- general lower economic status, the older generations ing overall drug prevalence among young people as (up to 64 years old currently) in post-communist well as related risky behaviors and harms. Regional countries tended to use drugs much less frequently differences in drug culture, historical context and de- at the time than their peers in capitalistic and demo- veloping trends will also be taken into account. cratic parts of the continent. In the Western European countries, average lifetime prevalence of cannabis This papers’ aim is to provide clear evidence and per- use in the age group 15-64 is 20%, while in Eastern spectives of young professionals and young drug us- European (at least in those listed in the research; ex- ers about drug policies, for both national and inter- cluding Turkey as Eastern with no communist his- national policy makers as well as public opinion. We tory) this percentage is 13.8% on average. However, hope this will help young people to participate in the this gap clearly changes when we compare a younger policy-making process that will result in the adoption age group (15-34), which was raised and lived most of of provisions that are more sensible and compassion- their lives after the fall of the Iron Curtain. In Western ate in the future. As European drug and public health Europe the average lifetime prevalence of cannabis use laws are shaped by national governments, European is 27.8% and in Eastern it is 32%. On the one hand we Union and the United Nations, we make officials from observe that younger Europeans generally tend to use all three of these institutions the primary addressees these psychoactive substances at a much higher rate of our work. However, this paper will also be made and wider scale than the generation of their mothers available for young people to inform them of the dif- and fathers. This change is significantly prevalent, at a ferences in the drug situation across the countries in- doubled rate, in the former Soviet Bloc: 18,2 percent- volved. age points (pp), comparing to 7.8 pp. in the countries that were free-market and fully or partially democrat- According to Eurostat there are 140 million people ic since Second World War. (EMCDDA, 2013) aged 15-29 in Europe, which accounts for roughly 20% of a total 700 million European population (Eu- Recreational drug use (other than cannabis) re- rostat, 2013). Youth to total population ratio varies mains steady, although there still remains a relative- between countries with a general trend showcasing a ly high level of use among young people. In most of higher proportion of young people, relative to other the EU countries 2.1% to 6.8% of people aged 15-24 age categories, in Eastern European countries. Drug used ecstasy at least once in their lives. For cocaine 4 this figure varies from 0.1% to 9.9%, 4.4% on aver- Lifetime prevalence of cannabis use among students age (EMCDDA, 2013). In both cases drug use is in Poland; 1995-2011; European School Survey Proj- much higher among frequent nightclub goers, which ect on Alcohol and Other Drugs, 2011. should be reflected in the number of harm reduction actions focused on this group as the demand Alongside historical factors shaping youth drug con- is higher among this group (EMCDDA, 2010). sumption in Europe, regional drug cultures, traffick- ing routes and related availability of certain substanc- When we look at more specific data regarding young es also play a major role. This is clearly visible when people, for example students, in particular Eastern we look at cocaine and amphetamine or cannabis and European countries we can observe over twofold raise hash consumption in different countries. in drug use amid school pupils since the mid-nineties. 2001 2011 Resin: 51-75% >75% predominant cannabis type, resin or herb Herb: 51-71% >71% no data among number of seizures in 2001 and 2011 predominant stimulant drug by last year primary stimulant drug in prevalence among 15- to 35-year olds first-time treatment entrants Ecstasy Cocaine Amphetamines no data Predominant stimulant drug by last year prevalence among 15 to 34-years-olds and by primary drug in first-time treatment entrants, European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug abuse, 2013 5 Harm reduction services for New psychoactive substances recreational users One of the major trends among young drug users in Europe is the use of novel psychoactive sub- Harm reduction services for young recreational drug stances, known as “research chemicals”, “smart users are much less available than prevention, treat- drugs” or “legal highs”, for example mephedrone. ment and abstinence programs or harm reduction European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Abuse defines such substances as: for injecting users. In those countries where they ex- ist they are mainly focused on nightclub parties and summer music festivals, and include services such as A new narcotic or psychotropic drug, in pure form or in advice on drug effects, overdose prevention and out- preparation, that is not controlled by the 1961 United Na- reach drug testing. One of the most noticeable and tions Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs or the 1971 recent examples of a social campaign aimed solely on United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances, harm reduction among recreational drug users is “Styr but which may pose a public health threat comparable Pa Stoffer” created in 2013 by Danish NGO Psyki- to that posed by substances listed in these conventions. atrikfonden. The campaign advised young people to educate themselves about the drugs they are going to In 2012 alone 72 new psychoactive substances had use. Other social campaigns were usually focused ei- been reported in the European Union, and the use of ther on prevention/abstinence or on drug-driving. “research chemicals” has significantly escalated in the last few years, especially among young people. In some countries over 90% of students know about these sub- Harm reduction services for people stances, 20% visited so called headshops, where they who inject drugs can be obtained, and 15% admits to using them at least once in their lifetime (ESPAD, 2011). Use of new Availability and access to harm reduction services for psychoactive substances became a major issue among young people who inject drugs are vastly different be- injecting drug users as well. Even with “classical” tween the countries. In some countries, such as the drugs, older injecting users tend to prefer opiates over Netherlands and Germany, every drug user, no mat- the stimulants. In comparison many outreach work- ter what age, can become a client of a harm reduction ers in Eastern Europe report that injecting use of new program. In others, like Hungary or Ukraine, there synthetic stimulants seems to be much more popular are regulations that do not allow underage users in the among young people. Health risks of such use seems programs or require them to have a parental consent to be notably higher than in case of opiates, mostly to participate which in reality makes services inac- because of shorter duration time which requires us- cessible as many young users hide the fact that they ers to inject them much more often (sometimes over are using drugs from their parents and some do not 10 times a day) which increases the risk of HIV and maintain any relationship with the family.

Load more