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It is also worrying that counterfeit drugs such as Xanax tablets, which contain a dangerous new psychoactive substance, are appearing not only in Europe but also in Lithuania, and the use of such counterfeit drugs poses a real threat to human health or even human health. life.
These trends are identified by specialists from the Drug, Tobacco and Alcohol Control Department (NTAKD) based on 2020. data collected and in 2019. the results of the European School Survey on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) carried out at the beginning of April. Almost 25 thousand attended. 15-16 year old students.
Up to 19 percent. 21% of the surveyed students tried drugs at least 1-2 times, of which 21% boys and 18 percent. girls. The most popular drugs remain – cannabis, others consumed – LSD, hallucinogens, ecstasy, cocaine.
The director of the NTAKD prof. Dr. According to Renalds Čiužas, even 24 percent. Binding students claim to have easy access to cannabis, and 4 percent. Students in our country fall into the category of high-risk cannabis users.
“It is not just about facts and figures, because there are human stories behind them. It is especially worrisome that all these psychoactive substances that threaten health are consumed at a very young age, at school age. Therefore, it is very important that parents or guardians are attentive, notice alarm signals in time and take action as soon as possible, seeking medical help and taking advantage of opportunities to participate in NTAKD social projects, which are implemented by our partners ”, he says Prof. Dr. R. Čiužas.
Although, according to him, there is a slight decrease in the number of students who have tried or used illegal drugs at least once, we still have nothing to be happy about, as it has serious consequences for the growth of young people and their dependence on them. if action is taken. are not taken in time.
Students are slightly less likely to use new psychoactive substances that have similar effects to traditional drugs such as cannabis or ecstasy. These substances are also called “spaises”, “legal drugs”, “synthetic marijuana”, “chimke” and can come in various forms, such as a mixture of herbs, powders, crystals, swirls, “brands”, salts, nasal sprays. or tablets. 7% tried to use them at least once. of all students. For the most part, they reported using mixtures of herbs and smoked substances in the form of liquids, and less in the form of powders, crystals or tablets.
The most common on the market are synthetic cannabinoids (‘spaisai’, ‘K2’, ‘synthetic marijuana’, ‘dime’) and synthetic cathinones (‘meow meow’, ‘drones’,’ mephedra ‘,’ mefai ‘). Synthetic cannabinoids were used at least once by 4.5% and cathinones by 0.9%. young people interviewed. Although at first glance the figures seem small, they are really worrying, as Lithuania exceeds the national ESPAD average in terms of the use of synthetic cannabinoids (ESPAD average 3.1%).
Head of the Toxicology Center of the Vilnius Republican University Hospital (RVUL), toxicologist doctor dr. Robert Badar argues that to escape addiction to narcotic and psychotropic substances, it is important first to recognize the problem and not be afraid to seek help.
“The most important signs that a young person is using drugs: attention deficit, daytime sleepiness and nighttime insomnia, poor appetite, poor concentration, aggression, change of circle of friends, greater need for money. If so, the parents should be alarmed and seek help from specialists ”, says Dr. R. Badaras.
The priest Kęstutis Dvareckas, initiator of social projects and leader of the “I am” community, says that many young people manage to get rid of drug addictions when they seek specialized help in a timely manner.
“The most important thing is to recognize the problem and not think that it will go away on its own. The hardest part for beginners is deciding on long-term programs because we are an impatient society. The search for quick relaxation is common and has led to addictions. There is no real and quick recovery: real changes take a long time. The path to healing is not easy, it has a price, but the experience of thousands of healers clearly shows that it is worth following, “says Fr. Dvareckas.
NTAKD Rehabilitation Projects Helping People Return to Full Life and Quit Addictions, 2019. allocated 1.7 million. EUR, 2020 – 1.5 million euros.
