The justice ministry is increasingly concerned for the public’s health and safety amid increasing drug use trends, Justice Minister Anna Procopiou said on Friday.

Attending a workshop over illegal substances, she said it was important to hold open discussions over matters but warned there was a dangerous combination of recent socioeconomic changes that have impacted mental health.

Coupled with easy access to drugs that are offered at ‘approachable prices’ this “puts health and mortality at high risk, and includes excessive doses, serious long-term mental health problems and infectious diseases.”

Procopiou stressed the ministry’s determination to tackle the challenges, adding that police data showed a significant amount of drug seizures.

Since 2021 until the first 15 days of 2023, over 65kg of cocaine have been confiscated, as well as 16kg of methamphetamines and other stimulants in smaller quantities, she added.

In Cyprus, about one in four people seeking treatment report cocaine as the main substance of abuse at around 24 per cent, while about one in ten report methamphetamines at 10.5 per cent.

“We are determined to take interventions aimed at reducing demand and damage, as well as preventing and combating illegal production, trafficking and smuggling drugs.”

The number of users that have experimented with cocaine had quadrupled in the past 20 years, she added.

“We must also tackle stigma and social exclusion that users face with suitable approaches and policies, so as to offer affected people a chance to reintegrate.”