The head of the Department for the Treatment of Drug Addiction, Christos Minas, said that, on average, over the past 20 years, about 10 deaths have been recorded on the island every year, and the vast majority, unfortunately, fell on young people aged about 30 years. In addition, 1/3 of the deaths involved immigrants.

In 2023, 19 people tragically died, underscoring the urgent need for action. Overdose deaths in the last 2 years have been caused by stimulants such as cocaine, amphetamine and methamphetamine, whereas in the past the main cause of death was an overdose of opioids, that is, heroin combined with other drugs and drugs.

These shocking figures from the Drug Addiction Treatment Authority prove that the drug problem on our island has reached uncontrollable proportions. If we take it as a percentage, then:

Cannabis occupies 34.9%
Cocaine 22.1%
Opioids 21.7%
Other stimulants 12.3%

According to the latest data, 1,442 people applied for drug treatment in 2022. It is alarming that 62 of them were minors, and the largest group of people who use illegal substances is in the 18-29 age group. The facts show that this problem affects all age groups.
The main substance used by 16-year-old underage students of public and private schools is cannabis. As for adults, cannabis remains the most common substance in this category of people. Men make up the largest percentage of consumers (88%), but women also face serious addiction problems, the percentage of which is limited to 12%.
About half of the drug addicts seek help on their own for treatment. The majority of people who sought help for addiction problems last year were Cypriot citizens — 64.91% of the total. However, the problem also affects other nationalities: 17.27% of drug addicts come from European Union countries and 17.2% from countries outside Europe.

Source: alphanews.live

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