By Andrea Sophocleous
THE DRUG squad has called for more effective legislation and for the creation of an Anti-drug Council to help in the fight against drugs.
In a press conference yesterday launching a week-long anti-drugs campaign, Police chief Panikos Hadjiloizou and drug squad commander, Tassos Panayiotou, pointed to an increasing tendency to drug use, particularly among young people.
According to statistics available to police, there has been an increase in drug use among people between the ages of 21 and 35.
A professional breakdown of people arrested on drug-related charges revealed that the highest ratio involved manual workers, who constitute 30.1 per cent of drug offenders. Further behind were tourism industry employees (13.9 per cent), private employees (13.3 per cent), followed by the unemployed at 11.4 per cent.
Police argue that this year has seen an increase in the use of cannabis and its derivatives, marijuana and hashish. This is regarded as a dangerous tendency by police, because of the belief that the use of so-called ‘soft’ drugs like cannabis can lead to addiction to more far dangerous hard drugs.
The drug squad commander, however, stressed that the exact extent of the drug problem in Cyprus was no yet known, due to the lack of any accurate studies on the subject. Police chief Hadjiloizou added that “in relation to other countries, the situation in Cyprus is not disheartening, but the dangers are there and they are high.”
Hadjiloizou said the drug squad, which has increased its staff by 60 per cent since the beginning of the year to cope with the growing problem, attributed great significance to both prevention and treatment for drug users.
“We attribute huge importance to education campaigns in preventing the spread of drug use, and for that reason the drug squad has filmed an education video which offers ample information on drugs and their tragic consequences,” he said.
Panayiotou stressed that the drug squad were having a hard time arresting drug traffickers due to pubic disinterest in the problem as well as inadequacies in the law as it stands. The drug squad commander said that for police to confront the drug problem more effectively, “there are three urgent necessities”.
He listed the need for a scientific study on the use of drugs in Cyprus; said the House should consider the setting up of an anti-drug Council and Fund; and called for better drug laws to act as a deterrent.
