Expatica/EU-Digest: A more dangerous threat than terrorism - Facts and Figures on Drugs use in EU: Spaniards among biggest users of cocaine in EU

Expatica/EU-Digest

A more dangerous threat than terrorism - Facts and figures on Drug use in EU: Spaniards among biggest users of cocaine in EU

MADRID — Spaniards are among the biggest users of cocaine, Ecstasy and cannabis in the European Union, according to a new report.In the past year, cocaine became the drug of preference for Spaniards, said the report by the European Drug and Intoxicants Observatory (OEDT). The OEDT, which analyses tendencies in drug use in Europe, said 4 percent of young adults aged between 15-34 had used cocaine in the past 12 months. Its report said between three and three-and-a-half million people try the drug each year and 1.5 million are habitual users. Some other statistics on cocaine use:

Nearly one in five of the European Union population has used an illicit drug at least once. An increase in drugs and organised crime tops the list of fears among European citizens, with 69% seeing it as the greatest threat to our society. Dealing with the complex issues posed by drugs has been a major challenge for the European Union. To answer this call, the European Commission has mustered the full extent of its expertise in the fields of health and consumer protection, education and culture, employment and social affairs, development, enlargement, justice and home affairs, the internal market, research, energy and transport, taxation and customs and statistics. It has developed a multidisciplinary and integrated approach to the drugs phenomenon.

There are an estimated 1.5 million problem users in the European Union (EU). The picture varies between and within countries, with some areas facing specific problems.

Cannabis is the most widely used and available drug: 40 % of 18 year olds have tried it. The next most used group is amphetamines and ecstasy. Between 1 and 4 % of schoolchildren and up to 6 % of young adults have used cocaine. The number of people dependent on heroin has been stable over the past years, though there is evidence of experimentation among schoolchildren.

The incidence of drug-related AIDS cases peaked around the mid-1990s but has fallen considerably in most countries. The number of EU citizens dying in circumstances connected with drug use has tripled since 1985 but the rate has begun to fall over the last couple of years.

In 1999, the Treaty of Amsterdam strengthened the EU's ability to act. This time drugs not only became a priority for Community action in the field of public health, but the concept of harm reduction was legally enshrined. Scope for cooperation in justice and home affairs received a boost, with articles covering direct cooperation between police and customs, as well as through a strengthened Europol (European Police Office).Monitoring and data collection on drugs and drug addiction is carried out by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and Europol (European Police Office).