Regarding consumption, there is greater tolerance towards legal substances and cannabinoids: two out of five parents interviewed say they are permissive with respect to tobacco and electronic cigarettes and around half believe that the consumption of alcohol and cannabinoids should be contextualised before being judged...

In the days in which over 500 THOUSAND students are graduating from high school, the Ministry has confirmed alarming data on the use of drugs, alcohol and psychotropic drugs among young people . We can certainly say that among the traces of the first test of the State Exam such an important topic could not and should not be missing, a topic that closely affects schools and the whole of society. The constantly increasing data that has emerged raises important questions: has the school failed in its mission? Who should bear the responsibility for this rather dramatic situation? Families and schools certainly cannot escape unscathed.
The scenario of the diffusion and consumption of narcotic and psychotropic substances in Italy is characterized, in 2023, by increasing trends : in relation to both consumption and criminal crimes in violation of the "Consolidated Law on the Regulation of Narcotics and Substances" psychotropic, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of related states of drug addiction", and to the demand for treatment.
In particular, the growth in the consumption of psychoactive substances among young people aged between 15 and 19 compared to the previous year is confirmed: almost 960 thousand, equal to 39% of the student population, report having consumed an illegal substance at least once in their life and over 680 thousand (28%) over the last year .
The percentages of students who report having used at least once during the year are: cocaine from 1.8% to 2.2%, stimulants from 2.1% to 2.9%, hallucinogens from 1.6 % to 2% and New psychoactive substances from 5.8% to 6.4%. Cannabis remains the substance most used by young people, but sees a decrease in prevalence compared to 2022 (22.2% versus 23.7%).
2023 was characterized by 25 alerts issued by the National Early Warning System of the Department for Anti-Drug Policies (Dpa) to the relevant collaborative centres. The two of the highest degree, concerning a concrete risk of serious damage to people's health, concerned the spread of illicit fentanyl, a synthetic opioid with a potency over 80 times greater than that of morphine, and xylazine, a powerful sedative usually used in veterinary medicine, used in the illegal market as an adulterant.
Given the spread of consumption among very young people, there has been an increase in anti-drug operations and seizures by the police forces (respectively +6% and +17%), with 89 tonnes of narcotic substances confiscated in Italy and in international waters neighboring.
Together with the increase in consumption, we can also observe the involvement of minors in the production, trafficking and illicit possession of narcotic substances: the number of minors reported to the Judicial Authority for drug-related criminal offenses has seen an increase by 10%.
In general, drug-addicted prisoners represent 29% of the total as of 31 December 2023, while 3,901 people are under the care of the External Criminal Enforcement Office (UEPE) for alternative measures to detention.
Families and prevention
The preliminary results of the pilot study "Families and prevention" on "parents' perceptions and skills regarding the consumption of psychoactive substances and alcohol by minors" are based on data collected in March-April 2024 through an anonymous survey in which 4,901 participants participated. parents of students aged between 9 and 14, attending 20 primary and lower secondary schools in the metropolitan city of Rome Capital.
The parents interviewed believe that over 50% are capable of recognizing the symptoms deriving from the consumption of legal substances (alcohol and tobacco derivatives) and cannabinoids, while less than half say they are able to recognize the symptoms linked to the use of other illegal psychoactive substances. Regarding consumption, there is greater tolerance towards legal substances and cannabinoids: two out of five parents declare themselves permissive with respect to tobacco and electronic cigarettes and around half believe that the consumption of alcohol and cannabinoids should be contextualised before being judged. The consumption of other illegal substances, however, is considered absolutely intolerable by 90% .
Most parents consider all the substances considered easily accessible to their children . Outdoor places, such as streets and parks, are more suitable for finding illegal substances and psychotropic drugs, as well as places more frequented by children such as schools and friends' houses, in relation to legal substances. If they learned that their children were using substances, most parents would mainly resort to information and family involvement activities.
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And so here is the fundamental role of the school : it is necessary for teachers to begin to play the role of educators, of guides, for those young children who have lost that enthusiasm, that joy of living, that light-heartedness that should, instead, always distinguish each of them.
The phenomenon of drug addiction is an increasing and highly alarming phenomenon. Families, together with teachers, must play an active role and cannot remain on the sidelines.
Every student, every young teenager, as part of their growth, needs a careful eye, an ever-present support: young people must be re-educated and made to understand the true value of life and above all of their health, an inviolable right.
The minister highlighted the data from the latest OECD report which highlights the serious consequences of the abuse of mobile phones and social media. These behaviors negatively affect attention and academic performance. A UNESCO study shows alarming data regarding the lack of attention and the negative impact of cell phone abuse on the imagination and creativity of young people.
Anxiety and depression, the evils of the century, have found fertile ground even among the very young . The excessive use of social networks, with the consequent alienation and loss of identity, has made many young people increasingly alone and can no longer do without that "virtual reality", slaves to standardization and sometimes isolated from the rest of society. (CLICK HERE)
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by VALENTINA TROPEA
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