Heroin is back among young people. And psychotropic drugs are taken (without a prescription) to feel good or lose weight

Raising the alarm about drug use among young and very young people (the age at which people try it for the first time has dropped to 13 over the last 4 years) was Riccardo Pincerato, head of the National Pastoral Service youth of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), hearing today in the Chamber

ROME – “Italy is facinga significant increase in drug use, particularly among young people”. Thus Don Riccardo Pincerato, head of the National Service for Youth Pastoral Care of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), at a hearing today in the Chamber in the Parliamentary Commission for Children and Adolescents, regarding the fact-finding investigation into material, moral and cultural in the condition of minors, with focus on the spread of alcohol, new drugs, aggression and violence.
According to the data of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) study, reported in the report by the Italian Federation of Therapeutic Communities (FICT), meanwhile, around 1/3 of young people of school age between 15-19 years old declared they had used illegal substances at least once. Furthermore, the FICT service network reports that the real numbers could be even higher, with cases of addiction observed as early as 12-13 years old.

“Regarding the consumption of illegal substances in our country – continued Don Pincerato – 28% of children aged between 15-19 use or have used narcotic substances, in 2021 it was just over 18%. The first use usually occurs between 13-17 years of age, in 2020 it was between 14-18 years of age“. The percentage of those who used drugs for the first time at age 14 or younger is also increasing, rising from 27% in 2018 to 33% in 2022.

THE RETURN OF THE HEROIN

“There is a strong return to the use of heroin – the head of the National Service for Youth Pastoral Care of the CEI alerted – 320 thousand young people have smoked, snorted or are injected with the opium derivative“. The data on the consumption of legal substances in 2023 are not indifferent: “780 thousand, i.e. 33% of the population of students between 15-19 years old, got drunk in the last year; 730 thousand, i.e. 30% of the student population have done binge drinking, i.e. alcoholic binge; 460 thousand, equal to 19%, students have used in their lives psychotropic drugs“.

GIRLS TAKE DRUGS AS MUCH AS MALES

As for gender-based substance addiction, girls have caught up and surpassed boys. “If traditionally more young people use psychoactive substances – said Don Picerato – in recent years we are witnessing an important change in consumption patterns among students, supported by an increasingly evident reduction of gender differences”.
The most relevant data is that observed among 15 and 16 year old female students, who presentprevalence of consumption “equal or higher” than their peers > regarding the use of cannabinoids: NPS (Novel Psychoactive Substances), cocaine and opiates. 2022 also saw female consumption overtaking male consumption with regards to the use of tobacco and excessive alcohol. Given this, which is added to the consumption of psychotropic drugs without a medical prescription, which has always been a typically female prerogative.

EVENINGS ENDED IN THE ER

Confirming the precociousness of women in their approach to substances, there is also the access to drug-related emergency rooms, which “despite being in absolute numbers almost half of those of men – underlined Don Picerato – they involve young people under 17 the most, with 13% of emergency room visits compared to 7% in the same age group among young people. 65% of cases are linked to induced psychosis from drugs. The male figure with the same diagnosis is 44%.
Several factors contribute to the increase in substance use among young people in Italy: “The first is psychosocial malaise strong> – he said – the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated social psychological fragilities, leading to an increase in mental disorders and, consequently, to the use of substances as acoping mechanism(process of adaptation to the stressful situation, ed.)”. The WHO, moreover, has certified a clear correlation between mental health and addictions, highlighting a global increase in mental and neurological diseases”.

IT’S ALARM FOR PSYCHODRUGS

“Children between the ages of 15 and 19 who use illegal substances are approaching one million – said Don Pincerato – but what is most impressive is that alongside the classic substances, other substances which accompany the lives of adolescents: the pandemic has accelerated the use of psychotropic drugs without prescription ‘to feel better’, teenagers report, some use them to lose weight >others instead to have a situation of serenity. But there are also kids who take stimulants to improve their academic performance”.
Always according to FICT data, among the students who have taken psychotropic drugs without a medical prescription in 2022, 48% found them at their home, 27% on the internet, 20% at a friend’s house, 18% turned to the street market and 13% from a drug dealer. In 2022, among the reasons most commonly reported by consumers of psychotropic drugs are ‘feeling better about oneself‘ regardless of the type of drug considered.

SUBSTANCE USE NOW IS A SIGN OF “SOCIAL SUCCESS” “

But what’s new is thatsubstance use is no longer perceived as an antisocial attitude,but in some cases as a marker of social success. The lowering of the age of first use of substances, often between 14-18 years, and the growing involvement of young people under 14 in drug dealing due to their impunity, according to the CEI representative are “worrying signs ” and talk about a trend towards a culture that sees drugs “increasingly integrated into the daily lives of young people”.

IF DRUGS ARE EASY TO BUY ON THE INTERNET

An interesting chapter concerns the ease (now) of access to drugs also through virtual markets: “During the pandemic, virtual drug dealing centers were discovered– he underlined Don Pincerato – accessible from home and without the control of parents in particular. Addiction, therefore, no longer takes on a social dimension but a personal and intimate one”. After the pandemic, physical drug dealing squares returned, but the virtual ones also remained active. “The availability of a vast range of low-cost substances have made it easier for young people to experiment and consume drugs”.
On the side of the service system, they struggle to intercept and effectively manage the majority of new drug users: “In many regions, particularly in the centre-south – said Don Picerato in the Chamber hearing – there is a lack of adequate services for minors with addiction and psychiatric problems”.
Finally, a look at the prevention and education policies with respect to the most fragile people, who are also often “insufficient and poorly structured. A profound revision of the entire educational system and a greater investment in preventive pathways from early childhood should start with the involvement of families and local communities – finally suggested Don Picerato – to create a supportive environment and continuous education”.