Nearly 9,000 new cases of drug addiction were registered at rehabilitation centres in Portugal in 2012, making it the highest annual figure since 2000, according to a report that also revealed that the number of newaddiction cases increased 70% in the last 10 years.
The report, which will be officially released next month, serves as a vital tool for the government, which is preparing a plan to tackle the problem of drug abuse and addiction in the country.
Data from the General-Directorate for Intervention on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (SICAD) shows that 38,900 drug addicts were undergoing treatment last year, meaning that there were approximately 10,000 more individuals than in 2003.
Besides the increase in addicts requesting help at rehabilitation centres, there was also a rise in the number of relapses, especially related to the consumption of heroin. In 2011, there were 1,843 cases of heroine relapse while in 2012 there were 2,881.
José Goulão, national drug coordinator and head of SICAD, told Expresso newspaper that heroin is used to “ease pain”, which explains the rise in its use during “times of crisis”. He added that the growth is already visible on the streets and gave the example of Lisbon’s Bairro Alto neighbourhood.
Goulão said it was important to make sure health units had the capacity to promptly handle these cases, “without waiting lists”, in order to put an end to the escalating problem.
A national plan to reduce the number of addictive behaviours and dependency cases has been subject to public discussion and will be approved at the end of this month. The plan will include drug, alcohol and gambling addiction.
Health Minister Paulo Macedo said: “There are factors related to drug addiction which have developed positively over the last 10 years and others which concern us.”
He considered that economic-related issues such as unemployment were not the only reason for the increase in drug dependency in the last 10 years, and named cultural and social aspects as relevant too.
Macedo stressed that the most important thing to do is see how the issue can be tackled, which is why the plan was being developed.
Early diagnosis of addictive behaviour will now be the responsibility of primary health care doctors and nurses, as a result of the integration of drug and addiction services in the regional health authorities.
