The chairman of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, João Goulão, has presented a report about drugs in Portugal to Parliament, with good and bad news.
The report states that there is less intravenous consumption, less spread of diseases and fewer drug-related deaths (good); however there are more cases of driving under the influence of drugs, dissemination of new types of drug, and cannabis rising in popularity (bad).
The report ‘The Country’s Situation in Drug and Drug Addiction-Related Matters’ is presented yearly by Goulão, and, in 2011, also contained comparison results from other European countries.
According to the report, cannabis is still the predominant drug being used, with cocaine following behind. Despite the recession, heroine consumption decreased for the second year in a row and the new drugs, although multiplying fast, still represent residual values.
In 2011, there were six deaths related to drug use, “the lowest value since 2006”, and during the year 12,550 drug users benefited from drug-addiction treatment programmes and associated facilities.
Last week, UK Members of Parliament praised the Portuguese decriminalisation system in its fight related to drug issues, but UK Prime Minister David Cameron promptly rejected the option to further study an adaptation of the system for the UK (see last week’s edition).
