Drug control policy
Drugs are a complex social and health problem that affects millions of people in the EU.
Every year around 8.500 individuals die in the EU because of drug overdose, 2.100 die of HIV/AIDS attributable to drug use and 3.000 people become infected with HIV because of drugs.
EU countries and the European Commission have developed together, over the past two decades, a European approach to dealing with drugs sustainably. The 27 EU countries have agreed to cooperate closely to:
- tackle drug-related crime and disrupt drug trafficking;
- manage effectively the emergence of new psychoactive substances;
- share best practices and research on drug prevention and treatment;
- assist countries worldwide to prevent drug production and drugs trafficking.
The European Commission helps develop the European framework for this cooperation. It is our job to:
- monitor and evaluate actions taken by EU countries to reduce drug use and prevent drugs-related crime and trafficking;
- propose EU-wide control measures for new drugs when necessary after carefully analysing risk assessments;
- enforce the EU laws to control and prevent the use of chemical substances for the manufacture of illicit drugs;
- foster European cooperation by providing financial assistance in the field of illicit drugs.