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The editorial says: Opioids are on the rise and under close scrutiny in Europe.
In a report released on Tuesday, March 5, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) warned of the ever-increasing availability of drugs in Europe and raised concerns about the opioid crisis on the continent. expressed.
“Synthetic chemical opioids are on the rise in Europe. This poses a real public health problem,” Pierre Laparc, a member of the Executive Committee of the INCB, a United Nations agency, told Euractiv.
Opioids include heroin, morphine, codeine, fentanyl, and other similar substances. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “pharmacological effects can cause breathing difficulties and overdosage can be fatal.”
The most widely used opioid in Europe is heroin, while in the United States it is fentanyl, which has been the cause of a serious health crisis in this country since the 1990s.
More than 564,000 Americans died from an overdose of one of these products between 1999 and 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Since then, the crisis has accelerated, killing an estimated 120,000 people in 2023 alone.
“There is no way the opioid crisis will not affect Europe,” Laparc warned, adding that it is impossible to predict whether the continent will be affected to the same extent as the United States.
The latest report from the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), published in January 2024, is even more reassuring. “Compared to North America, the EU is much less affected by synthetic opioids,” said board member Alexis Goosdir.
The main reason for this is that drug prescribing is more stringent in Europe, most opioids, with the exception of heroin, are commonly used as painkillers, and care programs for addicts are “well-developed.” ” for this reason.
However, EMCCDA noted an increase in heroin use, with the amount of heroin seized by member states more than doubling to 9.5 tonnes in 2021. Its illegal nature makes it more difficult to trace, especially as illegal drugs are now being purchased on social networks.
The INCB report explains that organized crime groups are exploiting internet-based technology, such as modified smartphones and “encrypted phones,” for drug trafficking, making it easier to obtain opioids.
The analysis published in the EMCCDA report states: “These substances play an important role in some EU member states, particularly the Nordic and Baltic states, and this analysis provides recommendations for strengthening EU-wide preparedness. Action is called for.”
But there are around 1 million high-risk opioid users in the EU, and for Laparc the real question is: “Is Europe ready to face the opioid crisis from a public health perspective?”
Written by Clara Bauer Babev
EU news
- France becomes the first country in the world to explicitly enshrine abortion in its constitution
- French Senate approves abortion as a defeat for the ‘anti-choice’ movement, experts say
- European doctors are divided over Germany’s legalization of cannabis
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France was the first country in the world to enshrine abortion in its constitution. France on Monday became the first country in the world to enshrine a woman’s right to abortion in its constitution, following a vote by parliamentarians and senators gathered in the Palace of Versailles. Clara Bauer-Babef also attended the Congress. - The French Senate’s approval of abortion is a defeat for the anti-choice movement, experts say. France’s right-wing Senate has approved a bill enshrining the right to abortion in the constitution, after the National Assembly passed a similar resolution in late January, a defeat for far-right and anti-choice activist Camille Boutin. . The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) told Clara Bauer-Babech’s Euractic in an interview.
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European doctors are divided over the legalization of cannabis in Germany. As Germany’s Bundestag passes legalization of cannabis use on Friday (February 23), medical experts in France and across Europe remain divided over the effectiveness of such measures in protecting consumers. ing. Clara Bauer-Babef reports here.
News from the capital
warsaw
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Bratislava
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stockholm
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prague
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Sofia
Bulgaria will suspend its €50 billion health investment strategy until 2030. Bulgaria’s parliament has suspended a €50 billion health investment strategy until 2030, despite suffering disproportionately high mortality rates and recording the highest negative population growth in the European Union. read more.
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]
Read more at Euractiv
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