Sharp increase in number of young people dying with illegal drugs in their system
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The number of young people who died last year with illegal drugs in their metabolism increased significantly last year over 2006.
According to initial figures put out by the Department of Forensic Medicine at the University of Helsinki, 126 young people died while under the influence of drugs in 2007. In 2006 the number was 103.
About half of them died of poisoning, and the other half died of suicide or accidents.
The department says that drugs were detected in samples taken from 231 dead Finns last year. This figure is also a new record.
According to Ari Virtanen of the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES), the growth figures are not a direct indication of increased drug use by young people.
Statistics indicate that experimentation with drugs among young people has been declining. The number of those under the age of 25 who have tried drugs at some time in their lives declined in 2002 - 2006 from about 25 per cent to around 20 per cent.
Virtanen says that the phenomenon can be explained by a surge in drug experimentation in the late 1990s.
The largest age group among those who died in connection with using drugs were aged 25 to 29. In previous years the largest age group were the 20-24-year-olds.
“As drug continues, the problems linked with it also gets worse, and it can be seen in this as well”, Virtanen says.
The array of substances that are used has increased, says Professor Erkki Vuori of the Department of Forensic medicine. The use of various drug combinations has also increased.
For instance, methadone, which is primarily used as a replacement drug for heroin addicts, is found increasingly in samples taken from bodies examined at the department.
Geographical distribution of the deaths is evening out. The Helsinki region now only accounts for about 40 per cent of the cases.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 29.10.2008 - TODAY |
 Sharp increase in number of young people dying with illegal drugs in their system |
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