Unofficial and publicly inaccessible research conducted in one of Belgrade schools showed that 84 out of 100 students included in the poll had explicitly stated they had been drug addicts! Another internal professional survey results revealed that seven of ten part-time students are drug-addicts. On the other hand, when last year one professor warned about this problem being present in his class, under pressure of angered parents he was suspended.
The most profitable world tax-free industry, drug addiction is tolerated in Serbia since the strategy for curbing dependence illnesses has not yet been adopted. The Novi Sad Association of Citizens for Fight against Drug Addiction President Ruzica Veselinovic said that this problem could not be systemically solved, which is also obvious thanks to the fact that there are no state hospitals specialised in drug addicts treatment.
According to her, while drug addiction is spreading even more people do not know who to refer to.
"It is a big mistake that the draft of the National Strategy for Curbing Dependence Illnesses does not provide the treatment for addicts. This document provides 20 percent education, just 10 percent treatment and even 70 percent methadone treatment for drug addicts", says Veselinovic.
She points out that the European Union has approved 3.5 million euros for organising methadone centres in Belgrade, Nis, and Novi Sad adding that was the crime decreasing measure and not the solution for drug addicts in Serbia who needed treatment.
There is an overwhelming opinion in Serbia that in the Netherlands, for instance, everything regarding drugs is possible and allowed. This is not true. The Dutch law differentiates between hard and soft drugs. Examples of hard drugs include opium, heroin, amphetamines, cocaine, and ecstasy, while soft drugs are the products of the Indian hemp (cannabis), hashish and marijuana (grass).
Production, trade and possession of all drugs are forbidden in Holland but not the use of them, for that matter. For production and wholesale there are severe punishments and possession of small drug quantities for personal use is not a priority in police actions.
Besides, small quantity (up to 5 grammes) sale of soft drugs to those older than 18 years in specialised shops (coffeeshops) is allowed although is it officially forbidden. This is called "condonance policy" since by allowing small quantities sale the authorities tend to prevent the cannabis trade illegally. It is argued that if the cannabis trade were illegal than it would be impossible to control the scope and quality of traded drugs. Furthermore, there is greater risk of hashish and marijuana being offered for sale together with hard drugs.
Contrary to the common practice in Serbia, drug addicts in the Netherlands are not considered criminals but people who need help. In this EU member-state it is possible to ask for help in solving the drug problem without having to confront the police since there are specialised institutions for drug addicts. Even in case of illegal stay in Holland, there would be no reason for fear of being arrested. Instead, one would get help.
Although one fifth of the school youth between 12 and 19 years old have already used cannabis in most cases they quit this habit with mature age. Talking on the European Union, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction data show even 12 million people in the EU are soft and hard drugs addicts.
There are few reliable data on drug circulation in Serbia. Main problem regarding this phenomenon research is that the use of drugs is an illegal activity and therefore it is rightly assumed that the number of unknown drug addicts is significantly bigger than those registered.
Maybe the most reliable data have the Institute for Mental Health and Neuropsychiatry Clinic in Belgrade where some 700 drug addicts were treated between 1968 and 1973. The number of drug addicts was significantly bigger and today it is estimated that several hundreds of thousands young people in Serbia even occasionally use some drugs.
"There are no congenital drug addicts. Encounter with drug happens in social, humane surroundings. Unless drug addiction is understood and accepted as a social problem, we will hardly stop the drug addicts in their aimless roaming through their lives", says psychiatrist Dr. Jovan Bukelic.
He also adds that society is expected not to declare its preference for prevention but organise, coordinate and conduct continuing and professional action.
Solutions for prevention and treatment are different. For its intravenous drug addicts Finland offers so-called clean rooms, i.e., mini ambulances where they can get clean syringes free of charge and beds to lie down during the initial drug shock. The Finish authorities` position is that drug addicts will not be stopped if society persecuted them. In such situation, it is much better to provide them with sanitary conditions and habits and prevent infective diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis, from spreading.
As an answer to the general spread of drug addiction, the European Council has published the EU Drugs Strategy (2005-2012) that encourages states to diminish number of secondary illnesses occurring as consequences of drug addiction, to make the number of under age drug addicts as small as possible and intercept the drug supply and money laundering chains, the reason special international police squad, similar to the American DNA, has been formed in Europol. The annual budget for this action is some 100 million euros a year.
* Nemanja Manojlovic is a freelance journalist** Published: 2008/10/03
