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EUROPEAN COMMISSION - PRESS RELEASE
European Commission to strengthen rules to fight
dangerous new synthetic drugs
Brussels, 11 July 2011 – Tougher action across the European Union is needed to
tackle the growing problem of new synthetic drugs entering the market, according to
a report by the European Commission released today. The EU indentified a record
number of 41 such psychoactive substances – which imitate the effects of
dangerous drugs like ecstasy or cocaine and are sold legally – in 2010, up from 24
the previous year. The drugs, which can be just as dangerous as banned
substances, are often sold over the Internet and in specialist shops. The report
assesses the current EU rules on tackling new psychoactive drugs. The
Commission plans to strengthen these rules to prevent such unsafe substances
from being sold freely on the market.
According to a new Eurobarometer survey published today, new substances that
imitate the effects of illicit drugs are increasingly popular with 5% of young
Europeans saying they have used them. The figures are the highest in Ireland
(16%), followed by Poland (9%), Latvia (9%), the UK (8%) and Luxembourg (7%).
The Eurobarometer reveals that across all 27 EU Member States, a large majority
of 15 to 24 year-olds are in favour of banning these substances.
“New synthetic drugs are becoming widely available at an unprecedented pace in
Europe. They can be toxic, addictive and have long-term adverse effects," said
Vice-President Viviane Reding, the EU's Justice Commissioner. “We need to act at
EU level and protect our children. The current system of detecting these new drugs
is not fit to tackle the large increase in the number of these substances on the
market. That’s why these rules must be strengthened to make sure young people
do not fall into the trap of using these dangerous drugs. We must make sure that
our legislative framework tackling these substances is strong and effective.”
Assessment report: Tackling new psychoactive substances
Today's report assesses the EU's mechanism for dealing with new psychoactive
substances entering the European market. The mechanism, set up in 2005,
involves early warnings about new substances between EU member states, risk
assessment and, potentially, Europe-wide control measures.
The report finds that the system for early warnings works well, but that the overall
mechanism has struggled to keep up with the large numbers of new substances
coming on the market. For instance, it is easy for people to get around the current
control measures and create new drugs that may be legal but have serious harmful
effects. The current system also lacks a range of effective options for control
measures.
IP/11/855
The Commission is considering various ways to make the EU rules more effective,
such as alternative options to criminal sanctions, new ways of monitoring
substances that cause concern, and aligning drugs control measures with those for
food and product safety. In the autumn, the Commission will present a series of
options in this respect.
The report found that new psychoactive substances are becoming widely available
in Europe at an unprecedented pace. 115 such substances were reported since
2005. In 2010, a record number of 41 new drugs were reported, up from 24 in 2009
and 13 in 2008. They included a plant-based substance, synthetic derivatives of
well-established drugs, and so-called ‘designer drugs'.
New psychoactive substances are increasingly a global problem. While the use of
‘traditional drugs’ such as cocaine, heroine and ecstasy, is “generally stable,” new
drugs are supplying the illicit drug market, as traders take advantage of
internationally unregulated chemicals, according to the "World Drug Report 2011"
by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Eurobarometer survey: Young people's drug use
The Eurobarometer survey released today shows that for the 5% of respondents
who admitted to using synthetic drugs, the main sources were through friends
(54%), at parties or in clubs (37%), in specialist shops (33%), or over the internet
(7%).
The Eurobarometer also shows that 1 in 3 young men (32%) admit having used
cannabis at least once in their lifetime compared to 1 in 5 young women (20%).
Europeans aged 15-24 make a clear distinction between cannabis and other illicit
drugs – both in terms of availability and health effects. Overall, far more young
people consider cocaine (95%) and ecstasy (92%) to pose a high health risk to
regular users than cannabis (67%) – compared to 57% for alcohol. Among those
young people who have never used cannabis, 75% thought that its regular use
would pose a high risk, compared to 36% of those who have used the drug in the
past year. 57% of respondents believe they could easily obtain cannabis within 24
hours, while only 22% said the same for ecstasy or cocaine.
Background
Tackling drug abuse requires a long-term, balanced approach, targeting with equal
vigour prevention, harm reduction, drug treatment, and drug trafficking. The EU
Drugs Strategy for 2005-2012 and its two implementing Drugs Action Plans (20052008 and 2009-2012) set out the EU’s coherent and balanced approach to reduce
users’ demand and the supply of drugs.
The Commission plays a central role in coordinating measures to reduce the use of
illicit drugs and combating drug trafficking. Under Council Decision 2005/387/JHA,
the Commission is responsible for proposing to Member States that new drugs be
put under control. The Decision set up a mechanism for the rapid exchange of
information on new drugs, for assessing their risks and submitting them to control
across the EU. Today's report assesses the functioning of this mechanism.
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For more information
European Commission anti-drugs policy:
http://ec.europa.eu/justice/anti-drugs
Eurobarometer on youth attitudes to drugs:
http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/whatsnew2011_en.htm
Homepage of Vice-President Viviane Reding, EU Justice Commissioner:
http://ec.europa.eu/reding
Contacts :
Matthew Newman (+32 2 296 24 06)
Mina Andreeva (+32 2 299 13 82)
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