Berlin

Berlin is the capital city and a state of Germany. It is the country's largest city in area and population, and the second most populous city in the European Union.

In Europe, at least 150,000 people die each year as a result of drug abuse. Germany is no exception. But it is leading the way in researching and treating addictions.

Experts in Germany are calling for more funding for drug prevention and education, so that more can be done than just reacting with hindsight. Victims of illegal drugs in particular, such as heroin, cocaine or hashish, face an alarming situation.

"We're mainly talking about young people," said spokesman Rolf Hüllinghorst from the German Central Office for Dependency Matters (DHS). "They start to smoke fairly early and move relatively quickly on to other drugs. That's why it's somewhat of a seismographic development among young people, which has a stronger impact on our society than the consumption of legal substances." DHS represents all 24 substance addiction organizations in Germany.

According to DHS, there were in 2005 some 40,000 alcohol-related deaths, 111,000 deaths from smoking and "only" 1,385 deaths as a result of the consumption of illegal drugs.

But this phenomenon is to a large extent still taboo and no one wants to talk about it, Hüllinghorst said.

"The normal citizen would, of course, rather deal with the consequences of drugs, because it's not something that is close to him," Hüllinghorst said. "He prefers to talk less about his own alcohol and cigarette consumption."

But DHS wants to change this. It is calling on German politicians to provide significantly more financing for education campaigns, which show the dangers of drug consumption. This should include the alleged harmless legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco.

sources :http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2015266,00.html