EUDA Expert Giraudon: There is a decrease in drug-related infectious diseases in Europe

Gıraudon, in his statement to the AA correspondent at the 21st International Forensic Medicine Days Congress held in Antalya, where Anadolu Agency (AA) is the "Global Communication Partner", said that they saw a decrease in drug-related infectious diseases in their research.

Stating that the reason for this is the so-called needle or syringe exchange programs implemented in Europe, Gıraudon noted that the expanded scope of treatments also reduces the risk of death.

Pointing out that everything is changing very quickly regarding drug use, Giraudon stated that while there were deaths due to the drug called "nitazen" in the Baltic countries before 2023, they have recently seen an increase in the use of fentanyl in Bulgaria and similar countries.

Giraudon reported that cocaine use is higher in countries such as Portugal, Spain and Italy, and cocaine-related deaths and the damage caused by it are more common.

"There are programs that are successful"

Stating that synthetic cannabinoids are especially seen more in the southeast and central parts of Europe, Gıraudon said:

"There is really serious cooperation on this issue. This can have very important results. We can say that the expansion of treatment programs and needle or syringe exchanges have reduced the number of deaths greatly. It is important to share best practices across Europe and transfer them at the global level. Because each country has programs that are implemented and successful. We try to learn these from each other. For example, there are certain programs across Europe to prevent or reduce drug use, especially in adolescents. These also emerge by learning from each other."

EUDA drug report

Isabelle Gıraudon also touched upon the study "EUDA European Drug Report: Current Developments in Drug Use Related Deaths in Europe" published in June.

Stating that they discussed all aspects of drug and substance use in the report, Gıraudon noted that the report also included issues related to treatment methods, harm reduction and law enforcement.

Giraudon emphasized that they tried to present a picture of everything related to drug use in Europe in the report and said:

"In the report we published, we saw that the issues we had previously identified were confirmed. We saw that there was an increase in the use of cocaine, especially in Europe, and the harm caused by it increased. At the same time, we can see that the deaths and harms caused by very strong drugs are increasing. When we look locally or in general terms, we made a risk and threat assessment, especially on synthetic opioids with high potency. We are carrying out studies on this. However, there are mixed drugs. In other words, normally another narcotic drug is placed inside a drug or a drug, its strength can be increased. We see."

Gıraudon added that it is very important for experts to come together and share their knowledge and experiences and to reveal cooperation in events such as International Forensic Medicine Days.