The EU says new harmful illicit drugs are inundating a flourishing market for traffickers amid violence and corruption hurting local communities across Europe. The grim message delivered Friday was part an annual report by the EU agency monitoring drugs and addiction. It warned that users in Europe are now exposed to a wider range of substances of high purity, including ketamine and of nitrous oxide _the so-called laughing gas. That's raising fears, with reported cases of bladder and nerve damage or lung injuries. And alongside the high availability of heroin on the continent, synthetic opioids are on the rise and have been linked to deaths by overdose in Baltic countries.

BRUSSELS (AP) — New harmful illicit drugs are inundating a flourishing market for traffickers amid violence and corruption hurting local communities across Europe, the EU’s agency monitoring drugs and addiction said Friday.

The grim finding was part of the agency’s annual report. It also said that drug users in Europe are now exposed to a wider range of substances of high purity as drug trafficking and use across the region have quickly returned to pre-COVID 19 pandemic levels.

  • setInner234@feddit.de
    0·
    1 year ago

    “we have tried nothing and it’s just not working!!”

    What we should do:

    • make drugs even mOaR iLLeGaLler
    • waste even more money on a futile war on drugs
    • continue to demonise drug users by making addiction a purely ethical / moral failing for the weak spirited and poor only
    • maintain a double standard where minorities get prosecuted for drug offenses and rich people can just do whatever they want with impunity

    What we must never, ever do:

    • declare addiction a disease or illness
    • regulate drugs to ensure users are at least getting untainted products
    • god forbid just legalise drugs and take all the control out of the hands of all these evil, evil drug traffickers
    • accept / understand that where there is demand, there will be supply. Somehow we have deregulated every walk of life in favour of rampant capitalism, but selling drugs is only allowed if the people like the Sacklers get to fuck up society

    This sort of fear mongering is beyond insane and completely misses the point that drug policy has completely failed for decades and things won’t improve by sticking with this Nixonian BS that the US forced onto the world in order to destroy the counter culture of the 60s…

    • knfrmity@lemmygrad.ml
      5·
      1 year ago

      Ironically enough Portugal, an EU member state, did much of the “never ever do” list and it’s been very successful.