Brussels, 30/08/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA, Lisbon) has just published a report entitled "Assistance to drug users in European Union prisons". The report proposes a scientific approach to the problem of drugs, which is considered as one of the major challenges of the current penitentiary systems. Out of a prison population of 350,000, at least 180,000 take drugs, which appear to be easily available in many prisons.
The report, however, notes great differences between the different EU Member States. Thus, Portugal and Spain are the two European countries where drug consumption is the highest, with a rate from between 38% and 70% in Portuguese prisons and 35% to 54% in Spain. The European country where the rate of drug use is the lowest is Austria (from 10% to 20%). France (with 32%), Germany (20% to 30%) and Italy (25% to 29%) have rates that are slightly higher than those for Austria. In the other countries, differences are as follows: Belgium (32-42%), Denmark (19-36%), Finland (15-31%), Greece (26-33%), Ireland (30-52%), Luxembourg (36%), the Netherlands (14-44%), Sweden (47%), England and Wales (15-29%), Scotland (18-33%). As far as the typical profile of the drug using prisoner is concerned, the report gives a picture of an individual who is highly socially deprived with several stays in prison, several treatment attempts, high relapse experience, and with severe health damage including irreversible infectious diseases.
Commenting on this report, EMCDDA Chief Georges Estievenart stressed that the "EU Action Plan on Drugs recommends that the Commission and Member States join together in seeking to reduce crime linked to drugs, notably juvenile and urban delinquency". The report is available in English at the following Internet address: http: //http://www.emcdda.org . For further information: Kathy Robertson, in Lisbon. Tel.: 351 21 8113000. Fax: 351 21 813 1711. E-mail: Kathryn.robertson@emcdda.org