More drug addicts are seeking treatment as fatalities due to narcotics use falls, a Greek report this week has claimed.
The Greek Documentation and Monitoring Center for Drugs (EKTEPN) issued research this week in Athens which claimed over 4,300 addicts entered rehab in 2016, compared to less than 4,100 the year before.
The Greek data also states that drugs-related deaths fell from 88 in 2015 to 73 in 2016, although these are only recorded fatalities.
This chimes with some findings from the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drugs Addiction (EMCDDA) which state that in recent years, injecting as a primary mode of primary heroin use has declined from 44 percent in 2006 to 33 percent in 2015.
The EMCDDA also reports a decrease in the levels of illicit drugs and their metabolites between 2014 to 2016, “indicating a possible decline in the use of those substances”.
However, the report’s writers are concerned that rise in the number of people seeking treatment for cannabis-related problems reflects the growing potency of synthetic cannabis.
Last year, it was claimed that Greece recorded 7,688 drug-related deaths in the past 10 years, according to figures provided by the Therapy Center for Dependent Individuals (KETHEA).
KETHEA released the figures in light of a report released for the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, June 26.
According to the organization, opiate drugs, heroin in particular, are the most widely used and deadly in Greece, while users often combine them with pills or alcohol, further increasing their chances of direct death.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
