Drug use among teenagers has doubled in the summer, experts say. This is reflected both in the regular calls the Emergency Medical Service sees with young people who are unconscious after taking drugs and in the fact that more and more adolescents are being hospitalized while under the influence of intoxicants.
The State Police say that drugs are easier to get hold of than in the past, for a variety of reasons.
"If we talk about availability, in 2023 there were 18 professional marijuana cultivation facilities in Latvia. There was also one fentanyl laboratory, one amphetamine laboratory, and one methadone laboratory. Drugs have become cheaper," explains Sandis Radziņš, Deputy Head of the State Police Serious and Serial Crimes Directorate.
The issue of curbing drug abuse is now high on the agenda. Not only is there talk of the possible decriminalization of drug use for young people, which would allow them to seek help without fear, but inter-agency experts from the Coordinating Council on Drugs and Drug Control and the Children's Cooperation Council have come together on behalf of the Prime Minister to talk about what more can be done.
The Ministry of the Interior is proposing to exempt adults from criminal liability for drug use. So far, this has been limited to minors.
"We see that it would be possible to exempt from criminal liability persons who continue or enter treatment, as appropriate, and the addiction is determined by a doctor. This would therefore apply not only to young people but also to adults. In other words, sick people are not punished, but treated," says Minister of the Interior Rihards Kozlovskis (New Unity).
According to the Minister, currently, people with addictions, especially minors, are not treated but end up back on the streets.
More money is needed for prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. This could be jointly requested from the national contingency budget.
"At the moment there are also places where both young people and adults can be treated, but unfortunately the service is not concentrated. For example, Riga has its own program, Jūrmala has its own. We need to put in one system, for example, when a person has an addiction and wants treatment, where to call and how to help them to the end," says Health Minister Hosams Abu Meri (New Unity).
Minister for Welfare Uldis Augulis (Greens and Farmers' Union) also says it is important to provide rehabilitation.
"What is the most important thing in this case? Not just to take the person to a medical facility, get him on his feet, and the next day he is out on the street again, but to carry out medical rehabilitation, followed by social rehabilitation. Maybe change his living environment so that he gets out of that living environment for a period of time that would give us a chance to save the child," says Augulis.
The experts plan to meet again to address these problems.
