Street Prices for Illegal Drugs Lower Than Before

DRUGS PROBLEM IN FINLAND STILL ONE OF MILDEST IN EUROPEAN UNION

Use of illegal drugs in Finland remains significantly lower than in
many other European nations, claims the annual study by the European
Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drugs Addiction (EMCDDA), released on
Thursday. The data provided for the EMCDDA study by the EU Member
States and candidate countries and Norway was collected in 2004 and
2005.

According to the study, cocaine, for example, which is a cause of
great concern in Europe, is rare in Finland. Only one per cent of the
under 24-year-olds have used it, whereas in Britain and Spain the
corresponding figure is at least five times higher. Only the
consumption of amphetamine in Finland is around the European average.

Cannabis remains the most commonly-used illegal drug in the EU member
states. One in five adults has used it at least once, whereas the
percentage for the 15 to 24-year-olds varies sharply from three to 44.
In Finland this figure is under ten per cent.

As the use of cannabis is becoming more and more widespread, the
authorities are adopting more lenient attitudes towards it. The
possession of a small quantity does not always result in charges.

In Belgium, for example, the possession of just one plant or three
grams of cannabis for one's own use sometimes results only in an entry
in the police record.

In Germany, one escapes prosecution for possession is less than ten
grams.

The greatest problems are still linked with heroin. Even slightly out
of fashion, it still causes more users to seek for treatment than any
other recreational drug.

Around half a million Europeans are currently in substitution
treatment because of it. In Finland, instead of heroin, most opioid
clients are misusing buprenorphine, which is one of the two drugs used
in substitution treatment.

Even without a further rise in the opioid usage, the ageing group of
users will need treatment service for years, the report warns.

Drugs also kill. The number of drug-related deaths is not declining,
despite this being one of the goals of the European drugs strategy.
Drugs are among the most common causes of death for those under 45
years of age.

Lower street prices may also lead to an increse in use. The price of
illegal drugs are at their lowest since 1999. For example, a pill of
ecstasy cost an average EUR 25 in 1999. Today's price is three euros.

Drug prices also vary appreciably between different areas. A gram of
brown heroin costs EUR 12 in Turkey, EUR 141 in Sweden.

Supply naturally dictates the price. In some places the amount of
heroin on offer exceeds the local demand.

The worldwide popularity of methamphetamine is a continued cause for
worry. Within the EU, actual production of methamphetamine is for the
most part limited to the Czech Republic, where it is mainly
manufactured for the domestic market.

Around 65 million Europeans, in other words one in five adults, have
used the most common recreational drug - cannabis in its various forms
- - at least once. After heroin, cannabis is the second most common
reason for seeking treatment.

After cannabis, cocaine is the most popular drug worldwide. Its usage
in Europe is not on the scale of the United States, but experts
suspect that Europe is increasingly being targeted in drugs marketing
efforts. Other drugs such as LSD or "acid" and hallucinogenic
mushrooms are rarer.