The Pope warns of the “rapid expansion” of new psychoactive substances in young people

He Pope Francisco warned this Sunday of the increase in drug use among young people, thanks also to the possibility of buying them online, and the “rapid expansion” of new psychoactive substances (NPS).

“The phenomenon of abuse of narcotics and psychotropic substances continues to cause alarm and concern, especially due to the growth in consumption registered among adolescents and young people”, said the pontiff in a message sent to the participants of the 60th International Congress of Forensic Toxicologists celebrated on Rome.

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Francisco denounced that this phenomenon is demonstrated in the “increase in drug sales in the ‘digital squares‘ of the ‘dark web‘”.

“Adolescence and youth, as we know, are particularly delicate phases in the life of every person, characterized by notable physical, emotional and social changes.“, held.

“To this we must add that our current societies are, in certain aspects, fragile and marked by underlying insecurity. You can end up dragged into the compulsive search for new experiences by the need to measure yourself with the unprecedented, to explore the unknown, but also to silence the fear of feeling excluded and the need to socialize”, he added.

All this, according to Francisco, “represents fertile ground for the use of toxic substances”.

Among these, the Argentine pontiff pointed out, the so-called “new psychoactive substances” (NSP), in which United Nations includes the ketamine and the fentanylamong other drugs.

“The NSP represent a serious and complex problem in today’s environment with a rapidly expanding market, uncertain toxicological effects and serious consequences for public health.”, he warned.

The Pope stressed that “the ease of chemically modifying these substances later allows organized crime to evade legal controls, making it more difficult to identify the illicit compounds”.

“Many adolescents abuse NPS without knowing their danger, so it is essential to develop analysis techniques and preventive measures to contain their proliferation and encourage adequate therapeutic plans.”, he indicated.

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On the other hand, Francisco expressed his concern for the “increased diffusion of doping substances” in the sports world, due to “the manifest obsession of obtaining important results at all costs”.

A problem that hides a social scourge: “The phenomenon obviously indicates something deeper that implies the importance of reflecting on today’s society, in which a culture of efficiency and productivity prevails that does not admit doubts or failures.”, he denounced.

Faced with this problem, Francis asked “not remain indifferent” and called on toxicologists and experts in the field to make efforts to “find educational, therapeutic and rehabilitation plans to prevent and combat the drug plague”.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.