Nessa Childers MEP recently welcomed EU plans to crack down on the growing synthetic drugs market, after a new survey showed that the dangerous substances are most popular amongst Irish youth.
Ms Childers said: “Although most head-shops have been closed down, there is still a major problem of synthetic drug use in Ireland. These substances imitate the effects of dangerous drugs like ecstasy or cocaine. We have banned many of them in Ireland, but others are continually being developed. We must now also look at tackling the online sales market.”
Ms Childers said that tougher action across the EU is needed as soon as possible, as a record number of 41 such psychoactive substances were introduced in 2010, up from 24 the previous year.
“These psychoactive substances are increasingly a global problem. While the use of ‘traditional drugs’ such as cocaine, heroin and ecstasy is mostly stable, new drugs are entering the market, as traders take advantage of internationally unregulated chemicals,” she said.
“The recent Irish National Advisory Committee on Drugs report recommended better co-operation across the EU to stop this market growing. I urge the government to implement this report and support the plans of the European Commission to prevent such unsafe substances from being sold freely online or in head-shops,” said Ms Childers.
According to a Eurobarometer survey published recently, new substances that imitate the effects of illicit drugs are increasingly popular, with 5 per cent of young Europeans saying they have used them.
The figures are the highest in Ireland (16 per cent), followed by Poland (9 per cent), Latvia (9 per cent), the UK (8 per cent) and Luxembourg (7 per cent).
The Eurobarometer reveals that across all 27 EU Member States, a large majority of 15 to 24 year-olds are in favour of banning these substances. The survey shows that for the 5 per cent of respondents who admitted to using synthetic drugs, the main sources were through friends (54 per cent), at parties or in clubs, in specialist shops, or over the internet.
