9,000 suffer from drug addiction in Moldova

Some 9,000 persons in Moldova suffer from drug addiction and are under medical supervision. According to the Minister of Health, from the beginning of the year 500 persons were primarily registered as being drug abusers, Info-Prim Neo reports. On the occasion of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26, the Ministry of Health is holding an information campaign themed “Is Your Life Controlled by Drugs? Your Life. Your Society. There’s not Place for Drugs!” Specialists say the primary way to fight drug addiction is prevention, including anti-drug education in family, schools, and at the job. An effective instrument is the social advertising, which can show the youth the advantages of leading healthy lifestyles and of being responsible for your own health. Of particular concern is that 78 percent of the registered drug abusers are not in employment, and only 21.5 percent are in education or training. In 2008 the number of first-time registered drug abusers was 1,116, of whom 9.1 percent were minors. The average age of the children who used a drug for the first time fell from 17 to 13 in the last five years.