C 323/92
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
26.8.2022
4.5.
Drug dealers are extremely innovative, and thus keep inventing new substances.
Identifying, detecting, describing and preventing the emergence, spread and use of these substances is another element of the EUDA’s mandate.
Multi-substance use is also now widespread in the EU and is having a detrimental impact on public health.
The new EUDA should address all other substance-based addictions when these substances are taken together with illicit drugs.
4.6.
The use of drugs and illegal substances affects all people, because it carries the risk of addiction, which can not only ruin a person’s health, but can also destroy her/his whole life, by trapping them in a vicious, drug-centred cycle, which leaves no space for social life, family, education, work or anything else.
The risk of addiction is higher the younger and less experienced and educated a person is, as well as for those who are inactive and unemployed.
4.7.
In order to prevent addicts from learning the symptoms of mental illness, the occurrence of which will be an indication for therapy with medicines (drugs), closer monitoring of the internet should be introduced.
Currently, using the information available on the internet, it is possible to obtain prescriptions for drugs used to treat some diseases, such as ADHD and depression.
The legitimacy of obtaining them is based only on the patient’s interview and psychological tests, for which anyone can easily prepare using publicly available information.
4.8.
Therefore, due to the growing number of people using medicinal products with addictive substances, it seems justified to introduce the EUDA’s competencies in the scope of broader activities related to the public financing of this type of medical product.
Public funding of narcotic medicinal products, at a time when anybody can obtain guidance from social media on how to take psychological tests to obtain this kind of medicines, without additional surveillance measures, will lead to the abuse of reimbursed medicinal products (drugs), as this would be more affordable than buying them from a dealer.
5.
Specific comments 5.1.
The EESC agrees with the finding (11), confirmed by regular contacts with the EMCDDA and its stakeholders, that there is an increasing disconnect between the complexity of the drug phenomenon and the provisions of the current EMCDDA mandate.
The founding Regulation does not reflect the current reality of the drug phenomenon and is out of step with the tasks required of the EUDA to meet the challenges of the drug phenomenon and the requests from its main stakeholders.
5.2.
Revising the mandate of the EUDA 5.2.1.
In line with its previous opinion, the EESC supports the endeavour to fight against the illegal spread and use of illicit drugs and stands ready to support any preventive campaign and actions to that end.
Regrets that its earlier recommendations to closely involve stakeholder civil society organisations in the work of the EUDA are not reflected in the proposal.
5.2.2.
The EESC stresses the need to extend the EUDA’s mandate, by giving it more contemporary, forward-looking approaches and tools, and endorses all seven new areas of additional competences.
Regrets that the information provision, awareness-raising campaigns, actions to help resolve addictions and preventive measures were not articulated in a clearer way and that the involvement of CSOs, with their added value and the synergies they create, are not included in the proposal.
5.2.3.
The EUDA’s competences shared with EMA concerning medical prescription should also be extended with regard to the design of training for physicians who prescribe a category of medicinal products that are classified as illicit drugs under EU law.
5.2.4.
(11)
The EESC proposes to add some elements to each of the seven specific objectives, as follows:
2018/2019 European Commission evaluation as per EC SWD Impact Assessment.