EU REPORT SHOWS DRUG ABUSE IN CENTRAL, EASTERN EUROPE ON THE RISE

ZAGREB/BRUSSELS, Nov 20 (Hina) - The percentage of drug abusers in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which are candidates for membership in the European Union (EU), is on the rise, the Lisbon-based European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addition (EMCDDA) said in its annual report on Tuesday. The report points to the increasing number of school children who have tried illegal substances at least once. In 2000, the EU allocated one million euro as part of national PHARE programmes to each Central and Eastern Europe country for combating addiction. Major drug busts on the so-called Balkan route and in Central Europe throughout 1999 and 2000 have shown the region is a transit and storage area for heroin, says the report, adding the region's transit role for marijuana and cocaine is also on the rise, as is the local growing of marijuana. The report also points out that despite stabilising in the EU since the mid-1990s, HIV infection has been on the increase among intravenous drug users in Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, and Finland. According to EMCDDA president Mike Trace, the EU's 2000-4 drug combating action plan is a big step forward indicating the strong commitment among member-states to solving the issue. He has called on the members to draw up or upgrade national drug abuse prevention coordinating mechanisms. (hina) ha sb