EU cannabis use at new peak -report

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More cannabis is being smoked in the European Union than ever before, with 3 million daily users in the 25-nation bloc, but consumption may have reached its peak, new figures showed on Thursday.

Fifteen percent of 15-16 year old EU school students are heavy cannabis users, with young men twice as likely to sample the drug as young women, said a report by the European drug watchdog body.

"This is a very important public health issue that requires urgent attention,” Paul Griffiths, Program Co-ordinator of the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), told a news conference.

The annual report comes amid EMCDDA fears about a stronger version of cannabis now on the market, which can cause panic attacks, and concern about “severe” drug problems in the new EU countries that joined the bloc in May this year.

Prolonged and heavy cannabis use can lead to depression and aggravate pre-existing mental health problems, Griffiths said.

Cannabis use has stabilized in Europe but is at historically high levels, the annual report showed.

Ecstasy, frequently consumed by young people at all-night dance parties known as raves, is emerging as the second most commonly used drug in Europe, overtaking amphetamines.

The EU is one of the world’s largest Ecstasy producers, and to tackle the problem the bloc has tightened import controls of chemicals used to make the tablets.

The inclusion of 10 predominantly Central and Eastern European states in the EU this year has raised concerns about Europe’s new borders with Russia and its former republics.

“The Russian Federation, Ukraine and some of the central Asian republics are developing very nasty and severe drug use problems, particularly for heroin and opiates,” said Griffiths, adding that these states were facing an AIDS epidemic as a consequence of drug-users sharing dirty needles.

He said Europe should build links with these states to help them fight the problem. Drug use in Baltic EU states is also fueling an AIDS epidemic in the region.

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