The European Union (EU) will give 2.5 million euros
(some US$3.4 million) in aid to Colombia for developing programs
against the consumption of Ecstasy, Colombian authorities said
Wednesday.
Carlos Albornoz, director of the National Direction of Narcotics (NDN),
said that the aid will be used to organize anti-drug campaigns and prevent drugs
from entering the country.
“The synthetic drugs are a new fashion among youngsters. I have been told
in nightclubs and bars the cocaine is not consumed as much as the synthetic
drug,” Albornoz said.
Colombian President Álvaro Uribe has called for severer punishment on drug use, which currently is under discussion in many sectors.
Colombia, together with another main cocaine producer Peru, would receive
training from the EU on detecting the new drug and treating the addicts,
Albornoz added.
“We did not know how to identify the Ecstasy or to treat the addicts, so we singed an
agreement with the EU within the frame of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN),
and will receive aid on anti-drug training programs,” Albornoz said.
According to UN statistics, youngsters between 12 and 17 years old in
Colombia consume most Ecstasy among the Latin American countries. (Xinhua)