RESOLUTION on combating drug abuse

The European Parliament,

A. whereas, despite increased efforts by national and international organizations to combat drug abuse, there has been little improvement in the drug abuse situation in the European Community in 1983, 1984 or 1985,

B. whereas the most frequent victims of drug abuse are young people, around 3 000 of whom die each year,

C. deeply concerned at the rise in violence and crime in the drug addict community and in particular amongst young drug addicts,

D. whereas inactivity and unemployment distort the behaviour and relationships of young people, both within the family and with their parents, with all the attendant psychological and social consequences,

E. having regard to the increasing numbers of homeless young people and the direct link between the alarming growth of youth unemployment and the large numbers of young people without means seeking jobs, and the massive increase in delinquency of all kinds amongst drug addicts,

F. seriously concerned at the scale reached in Europe by drug abuse among children, particularly of heroin and notably in Ireland and to a lesser extent in France,

G. having regard to the numerous estimates that the number of school-age drug addicts is in the region of one million,

H. believing that with modern society being rocked by a crisis of values the family is almost always the only barrier to the spread of this evil,

I. whereas the steady growth in drug abuse has serious consequences for human health and the safety of society,

J. aware of the lack of effectiveness seen in the last few years in action to prevent young people from becoming addicted to drugs,

K. having regard to the resolutions it adopted in 1973 and 1982 calling for the implementation of a European policy to combat drug abuse,

1. Calls on the Commission to examine as a matter of urgency the need for D directive on the combating of drug abuse and the Council to take immediate action;

2. Considers that too few precautions against drug abuse are taken both inside and outside schools (both primary and secondary), that the public information provided on drug abuse has been largely inadequate and that an approach should be devised to allow doctors, psychologists and educationalists to fight the spread of drug abuse;

3. Calls for more intensive cooperation in the Community between police drugs squads and the customs services dealing with traffickers and foreign supplies;

4. Requests the Commission to make aid to countries that produce and export drugs conditional upon measures to prevent the production and export of these harmful substances;

5. Requests the Commission, working with the relevant European and international authorities, to launch a large-scale information campaign to warn young people of the multiple dangers of drug abuse and to implement a comprehensive strategy to combat hard drugs in association with the Member States and the relevant European and international organizations;

6. Requests the Council to tackle the drug problem at European level as a matter of priority and calls for this issue to be included urgently on the agenda of meetings of the Council of Ministers for Public Health and other relevant Councils;

7. Instructs its Presidents to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the governments of the Member States and of Spain and Portugal.