4) Who uses drugs and why?

In Britain caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and barbiturates are all legal drugs. They are similar to illegal ones in that, sooner or later, they can affect you so that you find yourself depending on a regular supply of them. The extent of dependence differs according to the person and the drug, but most people find it harder to give up even cigarettes or tea, apples or cheese. This is because most of us smoke, have a coffee or drink either as a way of calming ourselves down and relieving tension, finding extra energy. These drugs become associated with the power to relieve certain feelings and a habit is formed.

Stronger drugs such as opiates and cocaine - can be habit-forming in just the same way. The drug-taker comes to rely on the effect of the drug to produce a sensation of well-being and this reliance increases, until eventually dependence on a continual supply of the drug is established and an addictive habit is formed.

People who are addicted to drugs can be of any age and walk of life. Then reasons for taking drugs are as varied as the environments in which they live. In some cases, addiction will be life-long; in others, a temporary phase which can be broken out of.

Europe: Drugs - Adapting To New.

Drugs both legal and illegal - have accompanied humans since the beginning of civilization. But approaches on how to deal with them today continue to differ. Many US states are in the process of changing their drug policies – and there is now a clear trend toward greater emphasis on education and treatment, rather than repression. In Eastern Europe the rapid opening of borders accompanied by economic hardship adds a double challenge to drafting effective drug policies.

Statistically, in each EU member, tobacco and alcohol kill more people each year than do illicit drugs. But policymakers are nonetheless worried by opening of new trade routes bringing with it international organized crime - the availability of new narcotics, as well as the emergence of new diseases that can be spread by drug users such as Aids and hepatitis. We face increases in the numbers of drug-related deaths in most European countries. Diseases such as AIDS and HIV can be transmitted by shared needles among intravenous drug users. That trend has accelerated, so the states have adopted new policies focused more on treatment and prevention than interdiction and prosecution.

Some of those policies have already born fruit. In the case of HIP transmission rates, the establishment of needle exchange programs for addicts has been a clear success, preventing the further spread of the disease. Where those programs are absent, as in many East European states, HIV incidence continues to rise sharply.

The difficulty is that in other areas, drawing a direct correlation between the rate of drug use and specific prevention or enforcement programs is nearly impossible. In other words, it is hard to measure the individual effectiveness of different programs on influencing people to avoid or quit drugs. This has allowed politicians to use the drug issue to advance their own goals.

The incidence of drug use depends on many factors – among them - the rate of youth unemployment. This is a particular problem in much of Eastern Europe. Another important factor is whether or not a country lies on a specific drug route, such as the so-called Silk Route from Central Asia or the Balkan Route, which winds from Turkey through Central Europe.

The key to at least partial success is to educate people and, at the level of government, to maintain flexible policies that are periodically revised. Countries should adapt specific programs that have worked in other states, but adopting a one-size-fits-all policy is ineffective.

The EU monitoring group notes in its annual report on drugs in Europe that new substances continue to appear on the market. That's why it is important to stay on top of trends, change policies when needed and above all, remain educated.

We need to learn to live in a world with drugs. We need to do is, first, to be able to detect the new trends, to detect the new substances because some of them can be lethal substances. Second, we need to teach ourselves and our children to live in such a world.