European drug use report: Illegal allure

Hardly a day passes without another indication of how powerful and influential drug gangs are in society.

Another shooting in a turf war dividing an impoverished, deprived city neighbourhood, yet another death in a feud between rival gangs, or, possibly most sinister of all, yet another report on how crime conglomerates are using their ill-gotten fortunes to move into legitimate businesses.

These events will continue in one guise or another despite the best efforts of police forces all around the world to confront them.

The huge amounts of money, almost unimaginable to an ordinary soul, ensure this.

The latest report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction warns that Europe’s cocaine market is “buoyant” and that ecstasy use is enjoying a “revival” is just a confirmation of this spiral.

The agency also warns that these drugs are significantly more potent than heretofore.

A 90% jump in treatments for Irish cocaine use in the last four years confirms this.

The allure of the illegal is indeed a powerful force.