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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK High in League of European Drug-Users David Barrett and Geoff Meade PA News Wednesday 22 Oct 2003 The UK has one of the highest numbers of problem drug users in Europe, according to a report published by the European Union today. A Europe-wide drugs agency said Britain reported 6.9 injecting addicts or long-term users of opiates, cocaine or amphetamines for every 1,000 citizens aged 15 to 64. Only Luxembourg and Portugal reported higher numbers. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) said the UK also had one of the highest numbers of people who had admitted sampling cannabis in their lifetime. It noted 30% of Britons said they had tried cannabis, which is due to be downgraded from a Class B drug to Class C by Home Secretary David Blunkett in January. The study also said Britain had the cheapest dope in Europe. The retail price of cannabis resin varied from the equivalent of 2.3 euros per gram in the UK in 2001 to 26.6 euros in Norway. However, the Home Office cast doubt on whether the figures could be compared as like-for-like. A 'worrying trend' was the number of people seeking medical help and counselling for their cannabis use is now second only to heroin in many countries in the EU, said the study, although figures for the UK were unavailable. 'The trend towards an increase in demand for treatment for cannabis use could have several reasons: increasing prevalence of regular cannabis use; an increase in the number of cases reported by the criminal justice system; market factors and an increase in the number of adolescents with social or psychological problems unable to find other suitable services,' it said. The report also said solvent abuse could be a bigger health threat to young teenagers in the UK and Ireland than ecstasy and other controlled drugs. The use of solvents and 'inhalants' is now third only to alcohol and cannabis among 15 and 16-year olds across Europe. The biggest problem is in Ireland, where 22% of 15 and 16-year olds use solvents, and in the UK, where 15% are involved in the habit. 'Some 1,700 deaths related to such substances were recorded among young people in the UK alone between 1983 and 2000,' said the report. 'This suggests that, despite the high profile given to deaths associated with ecstasy and other controlled drugs, solvent use might be a greater acute health risk for young people.' A Home Office spokesman said: 'We are unsure if other countries use the same definition for problem drugs users as us. Ours is quite a low threshold. 'However, tackling problem drug users is at the heart of our updated drugs strategy and there are many measures and programmes in place to address this.' He added that similar discrepancies may exist in the data on cannabis street values. 'It is very difficult to get accurate data on illicit commodities. 'It could be a quality issue, as the drug may be poorer quality in other countries. 'The report doesn't actually say whether the differences between the UK and other countries are statistically significant.' He added that spending on anti-drug measures is set to increase from £1.2 billion in 2002-2003 to £1.5 billion from April 2005.
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