Hypno-sedative medications are already the second most common drug among minors. The proportion of young people in Madrid aged 14 to 18 who have used benzodiazepines is more than 15% and half of them do so without a medical prescription. A real scandal. This was stated by the general director of Community Public Health, Elena Andradas, in a conversation with ABC, which represents double the proportion since 2006. A trend that, far from abating, is increasing and which places these substances only behind cannabis on the list of illegal drugs (when taken without a medical prescription) among the adolescent population of the region. This is cold data, the tip of an iceberg that crystallizes in the daily work of state security forces and organs. The constant operations in the drugstores of the capital and its surroundings clearly show that these drugs are the stars of the black market of sale and consumption which takes place among traffickers in the neighborhoods. Benzodiazepines are the main ones in this category, but other relaxants and opiates, such as ketamine (a veterinary anesthetic), are taking over the streets of Madrid. The situation, both medically and security-wise, is very worrying. The worst is that, as recently discovered, it could be the tool used by transatlantic organizations to introduce into Spain the dreaded fentanyl, whose presence is still extremely residual; beyond the excessive consumption of those to whom it is prescribed by an illness or the trafficking that some of these patients can do with their medical prescriptions, the illegal trade of this type of substances, explains an expert from the Civil Guard, is multifaceted. “For example, diazepam was used in cycling pelotons [conocido con su genérico o con marcas comerciales como Valium] so that, during sleep, the muscle mass of these athletes relaxes. It is possible that the blood goes to all the capillaries of the muscles, but there was a problem: this medication intervenes at the level of the central nervous system and there were falls mid-run because they were high,” explains -he. Today, in this world, diazepam has been replaced by another substance which does not affect the brain, but only acts on the nerves which intervene in the muscle mass. This is tizanidine. , sold under the Sirdalud brand and which, according to anti-doping experts, will soon join the list of substances prohibited in competitive sports Standard Yes, 57% of young people in municipal drug centers are at risk due to gambling and gambling. Carlos Hidalgo networks. Cannabis, Internet, alcohol and cocaine are the ones that create the most detected connections. However, the so-called recreational use is the one that worries the most. Dr. Andradas explains that taking hypnosedatives is. more common among young girls (22%, according to the latest study carried out by the Ministry of Health, with data from 2023), compared to 9% of men between 14 and 18 years old. . “This consumption increases with age. This doesn’t mean they take it every day, but it is true that they have at times over the past year. Last month, 12% of girls of this age ingested it, and 7% do it daily,” adds the Director General of Public Health of Madrid. Second drug in the emergency room. Concerning adults, Andradas also manages the data. He It is necessary to take into account that problematic consumption is analyzed through hospital emergencies treated and this reveals that the second psychoactive substance is benzodiazepine, at 32.4%, followed by cocaine (20.9%). alcohol, which accounts for six out of ten cases of Karkubi, pills and money seized in a region abc narco flat In these drug sales points, almost 42 kilos of cocaine, 67 of hashish, 73 of marijuana and. 1.7 of heroin were seized But if we move on to synthetic substances, GHB, methamphetamine, “popper”, ketamine, mephedrone, “tusi” or 2CB (called pink cocaine), sildenafil (male sexual stimulant), speed, benzodiazepines and Rivotril appear, among other drugs. The substances seized are marginal compared to so-called hard drugs, but it is common for these places to have few quantities stored in case, as is the case, the police appear. Organizations, many of them from La Cañada Real, are gradually replacing them with their ‘daycares’.7% Young women Seven out of ten girls between 14 and 18 years old in the Community of Madrid take some sort of hypnosedative every day. In the past month, 12% have done so. However, other data suggests that the problem is much larger and with a darker background, namely the production of karkubi, once known as the poor man’s drug in Morocco but which is now established in Morocco. Spain during leisure nights. An operation carried out by the national police and the customs surveillance service of the tax administration led the agents to a transport company in Getafe, where they discovered two crates, each containing an oven. After removing the metal panel, they located 348 hidden pill bottles containing an approximate total of 80,000 benzodiazepine tablets: they mix Rivotril (clonazepam) with hashish to make karkubi. Researchers warned that the new drug was being introduced under the guise of a well-known drug, taking advantage of both its packaging and commercial labeling. In addition, the number of tablets contained in each of the containers involved was four times higher than what is commercially achieved in normal sales. “It may be used in young people for the same thing as ketamine, in terms of recreation. –an elite Civil Guard agent told the newspaper–. They are mixed with alcohol and other drugs. Benzodiazepines are part of a special protection group, it is not easy to obtain them. Some are intended for hospital dispensation and the others are subject to very strict control: a pharmacist, when he receives a prescription for a psychotropic medication, even privately, must keep it for at least three years to ensure its validity. traceability. What is happening is that it is being prescribed to more people and there are also illegal sales on the Internet. And here is another problem, that of security. Because, as the researcher points out, “foreign medicines cannot be sold in Spain and there are many counterfeits”. Recently, a new website was discovered that clones that of a legal pharmacy in Almería. On this site and thousands of other sites you can buy all kinds of drugs without any authorization. Oxycodone with Mephedrone One of these is also oxycodone, which is trafficked in small quantities and mixed with other substances like mephedrone to obtain eyesight. the saw effect is what’s in fashion. “Mediterranean countries tend to consume more stimulants than depressants, unlike the United States, where fentanyl is rampant. All psychoactive drugs are used to make you trip, by combining it with alcohol. And in a pharmacy, you can find everything, because they are cheap medicines and because people go there to buy, but also to consume,” he concludes. He considers that “what affects children is “There are more people selling part of the treatment prescribed to them, which is extremely dangerous.” What is the reason for this? Andradas draws on another survey carried out by his department among young people aged 14 to 16 : “When we ask questions about the multiples lifestyle habits having an impact on health, 68% of girls consider that, even if their health is good, they show stress, and among boys, it is 40% They speak of psychological discomfort. , 47% of them indicate that schoolwork overwhelms them a lot. A good number consider that, despite their efforts, their grades are lower than they should be. This is reflected in their sleep habits: 65% of them. young people sleep fewer hours from Monday to Friday than what is recommended, which is seven or eight; and the result is that they do it for a little over six hours.
