“The phenomenon of abuse of narcotics and psychotropic substances continues to cause alarm and concern, especially given the growth in consumption among adolescents and young people,” the pope said in a message to participants at the 60th International Congress of Forensic Toxicologists. Rome.
Francisco defended that this phenomenon is evidenced by the “increase in drug sales in the ‘digital plazas’ of the ‘dark web’”.
“Adolescence and youth, as we know, are particularly delicate phases in the life of every human being, marked by physical, emotional and social changes,” said the pope, recalling that contemporary societies “are in some respects fragile and characterized by be driven by an underlying uncertainty”.
“All this can end in the compulsive search for new experiences, due to the need to explore the unknown, but also to silence the fear of feeling excluded,” Francisco added.
The pope emphasized the dangers of “new psychoactive substances”, which the United Nations includes ketamine and fentanyl.
“They represent a serious and complex problem in the current environment, with a rapidly growing market, uncertain toxicological effects and serious public health implications,” Francisco warned.
The pope underlined that “the ease of chemically modifying these substances then allows organized crime to escape regulatory scrutiny, making it more difficult to identify illicit compounds.”
“Many teenagers abuse these new drugs without knowing the danger. It is therefore essential to develop analytical techniques and preventive measures to limit its spread and encourage appropriate therapeutic plans,” the pope defended.
Francisco also expressed concern about the “increased proliferation of doping substances” in the sporting world, due to “the obvious obsession with achieving important results at all costs”.
“The phenomenon clearly indicates something deeper, which implies the importance of thinking about today’s society, in which there is a culture of efficiency and productivity that does not allow doubts or failures,” the pope denounced.
Faced with this problem, Francis asked that no one be left indifferent and demanded that toxicologists and specialists in this field make an effort to find “educational, therapeutic and rehabilitation plans that make it possible to prevent and combat the drug scourge”.
Source: DN
