Like the other Baltic countries, Latvia is undergoing a transition process in which a planned economy has been replaced by a market one, and in place of a totalitarian state a democratic parliamentary republic has been established. The long occupation destroyed the structure of the independent state. The Latvian state has had to create from scratch its legislation, police, border guards, customs service, and all institutions that control the circulation of narcotics and precursors and their flow into illegal trade. Serious social problems have also arisen during the period of economic reform. Under the conditions that created a market economy, large enterprises that earlier made products of insufficient quality for the world market went bankrupt. Workers lost their jobs. The enterprises stopped paying taxes. There were insufficient resources for social assistance, medicine and education. A large section of society sank into poverty. Due to the budget deficit, there was also insufficient funding for the structures of law and order - the police, customs and border guards. Furthermore, the disrespect of the totalitarian regime for laws, and the weakness of authority, created fertile soil for the growth of crime and corruption. All of these factors also created a growing supply and demand for narcotics. In the hands of criminals, narcotic substances turned into "black market" goods, with which they could empty the pockets of drug addicts, their families and society. At the beginning of 1992, the managers of Latvia's biggest pharmaceutical factory "Olainfarm" exploited the fact that anti-narcotics legislation had not yet been put into order and, together with criminals from other European countries, manufactured 3,500 kg of MDA. They gave it the name of the medication "Rematadin", and managed to deliver it to Frankfurt airport. It was only thanks to international control of precursors that this crime was discovered. Following this drugs scandal, in January 1993 the Latvian government founded the Coordinating Commission for Narcotics Control and Combating Drug Addiction, the National Narcotics Treatment and Prevention Centre, the Narcotics Control Committee, and the Narcotics Combating Bureau. The Latvian government started preparing legislation necessary for ensuring the control of narcotics and for the combating of illegal drug trafficking, and the Latvian Parliament ratified the 1961, 1971 and 1988 UN Conventions. In accordance with these conventions, the Latvian government and Parliament prepared a law for the control of legal narcotics, psychotropic substances and precursors, and the procedures for treating those suffering from alcohol and drug addiction. In 1997, the parliament adopted amendments to the Criminal Code in accordance with the UN conventions. In June 1998 a law was adopted for the prevention of illegal money laundering, and a unit for fighting money laundering was set up in the Prosecutor's Office. Together with international organisations, the Latvian government organised the training of local experts. These steps stabilised the situation within the country, and Latvia's economy also started improving. However, along with the creation of a well-off section of society, in 1997-1998 Latvia's black market started to fill up with the most potent drugs - heroin, cocaine, LSD, ecstasy and MDA. These forced out of the market opiate extracts made from local, Lithuanian and Ukrainian poppies, and ephedrine. Alongside the increased popularity of youth dance music at raves, the dance clubs in the biggest cities were transformed into distribution centres for amphetamines, ecstasy and LSD. There were a growing number of articles in newspapers and magazines, copied off the Internet, emphasising the active effects of drugs, while playing down their negative aspects. A special campaign was started in the mass media publicising the success of Amsterdam's drug policies, and calling for the legalisation of marijuana. A conspiracy by organised crime to sell narcotics again started to have a negative impact on Latvia from mid 1998, and the situation worsened from 1999 to 2001. Heroin started to enter Latvia from the Netherlands and Afghanistan through Central Asia and the CIS countries. Cannabis came through Lithuania and Holland. Amphetamines were moved through the Netherlands, Germany, and Lithuania. Ephedrine came through the CIS and Lithuania. Latvia has even become a narcotics transit point, with Latvian citizens arrested for drug trafficking in Poland, the UK (2 kg of cocaine at a London airport), Croatia (1,613 tablets of ecstasy and amphetamines), Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia and Sweden.

Imported drugs caused an increase in crime:

Table No.1

In recent years the quantities of heroin, cocaine and amphetamines discovered by the police has increased especially (see Table No.2).

Narcotics and psychotropic substances confiscated in the country

Table No.2

	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Poppy straws kg	238,1	232	123,6	104,7	85,74	192,28	30,25	145,95	182,9
Heroine g	-	-	-	-	10,81	98,15	767,98	774,85	464,8
Marijuana kg	656,2	1,5	10,6	7,9	21,95	2,48	231,19	6,78	193,58
Hashish g	339,4	1005,8	1487,2	1497	645,93	3150	685,38	494,79	191,48
Ephedrine g	1424,6	1992,8	1574,2	1338	3104	346	281,2	862,29	570
Ephedrone ml	6443,4	1867,2	884,9	858,4	290,8	938,3	270,7	308,6	48,5
Amphetamines g	-	1,1	259,8	48	308,23	458,33	493,67	853,25	3550,8
Amphetamines tab.	-	-	-	-	-	1020	-	1114	1620
Cocaine g	-	-	12	12,2	23,98	62,51	1915	27,28	1024,25
LSD unit.	-	-	-	16	205	58	27	14	16
Med.prep.sat.nark.v. ml	-	-	100	723,1	5112	300,9	171	1306	16900
Psychotropic prep. Tab.	-	-	-	7133	20830	11244	13562	24527	9011

In 2000, the price of drugs on the black market started to fall (see Table No.3), and there was a corresponding rise in drug consumption. However, from May-June 2001, high-concentration heroin started to disappear from the market to be replaced by low quality heroin. At the end of 2001, heroin started to be distributed for a higher price. Therefore, this can be characterised as a drive to artificially drive up prices to increase profits. There was a parallel increase in the trade of synthetic drugs (amphetamines), although the Afghanistan crisis may also have had an effect.

Black market wholesale and retail drug prices

Table No.3

	1997		1998		1999		2000		2001
	Wholesale price LS	Retail price LS	Wholesale price LS	Retail price LS	Wholesale price LS	Retail price LS	Wholesale price LS	Retail price LS	Wholesale price LS	Retail price LS
Poppy straws 1 glass	1.50	3	2	3-5	2	3-5	2	3-5		3
Heroine dose (0.05-0.1 g)	35	50	4	10	3-4	5-8	1-3	3-6		2.50-8
Hashish 1 g	4.50	10	3-4.50	8-10	3-4	8-10	3-4	8-10
Cocaine 1 g	50	60-70	35	50	35	50	35	50		40-60
Ephedrine 1 g	2-3	5	4-5	8-10	4-5	8	4-5	8		8-10
Ecstasy 1 unit	3-4	8	3-4	6-8	3-4	6-8	3-4	5-7		6-10
LSD 1 unit	7	10	5	8-10	5	6-9	5-7	5-7		6-10
Marijuana 1 cigarette	0.8	1	0.70	1	0.70	1	0.70	1		1-1.50
Amphetamine 1g	8-10	15-20	6-10	12-20	6-10	10-18	6-10	10-18		8-12
Meta-amphetamine 1g										14

Deaths from overdoses of narcotics
and psychotropic substances, number
(in absolute numbers)

Table No.4.

1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
14	7	10	9	17	9	28	47	55	42	41	45	53	115	129	108

Until 2000, there was a sharp increase in deaths from mainly heroin overdoses. The death rate only started to fall in the second half of 2001 (see Table No.4). There has also been an increase in the number of drivers arrested for being under the influence of drugs.

1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
11	24	44	96	152	210

Until 2000, the number of drug addicts treated in hospital continued to increase. In 2001, a shortage of funding meant that the number treated in state institutions declined, but increased in private institutions.

1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
319	480	325	478	672	692	1467	2124	1776

The number of registered drug users and drug addicts is increasing, reaching 4,090 on December 31, 2001; the number has doubled compared with 1998 (1970).

Registered patients with addictions to narcotics and psychotropic substances
(contingent) and patients with first lifetime diagnosis (sickness rate) per 100 000 inhabitants

Table No.5

The prevalence of drug addiction amongst children and teenagers is rising; each year new patients are discovered.

1998	1999	2000	2001
230	298	369	355

Since August 1991, the number of opiate users has decreased, while the number of amphetamine users has risen, especially amongst 16-18 year old youths. Usage of cannabis products (marijuana and hashish) continues to increase.

Cases of hepatitis are rising.

1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
30	77	61	82	102	168	247	297	358

There is a rising incidence of infection with the HIV virus, and the onset of AIDS.

Table No.6.

Each year the number of patients with HIV and AIDS caused by intravenous drug use doubles (see Table No.6,7).

Table No.7.

For example, in 2001 there were 1,765 infected persons, of whom 1,329 were drug addicts. The number of infections is especially growing amongst men. There are especially high coefficients in the age groups 20-24, 25-29 and 15-19.

Table No.8.

The situation with the infection rate with HIV/AIDS in the Baltic countries is today that number of infected persons is exactly the same in Estonia and Latvia. It means that level is higher in Estonia which has less inhabitants. And number of infected persons in Lithuania is sharply increasing (prison inmates are highly infected).

Table No.9.

All of the above mentioned consequences testify that Latvia is seriously threatened by drugs. A drugs market has been created. The annual turnover of the narcotics business in Latvia is, according to estimates by medical and police experts, between LVL 58 million (US$ 90 million) and LVL 153 million (US$ 240 million). There are currently about 40,000 drug addicts in Latvia. Latvia has been transformed from being a narcotics transit country to being a narcotics-using country. This is shown by police studies of those countries from which drugs enter Latvia, and those to which drugs are being sent in transit. Poorly developed shipping and ferry traffic is the reason why fewer drugs are sent from Latvia to the Scandinavian countries. However, it has been proven that cocaine is sent through Latvia to Russia. Latvia badly needs mobile x-ray machines to check containers, and trained dogs for inspecting small cargoes, cars, baggage and postal packages. It is worrying that customs has not seized one heroin shipment, even though in other countries customs is the main point where drugs are seized. There has been improved cooperation between police and their colleagues in Scandinavia, the European Union countries and Russia, where our communications officers have started working. Joint operations are conducted and deliveries are checked. The number of employees in the Narcotics Combating Bureau of the Chief Criminal Police Authority has risen from 30 to 72. Regional groups have been formed in port cities and near the outskirts of the big cities. In these places, the number of uncovered drug trading outlets has increased. Local police units in other districts of Latvia are also involved in unmasking drug-related crimes. A specialised narcotics group has been formed in the prosecutor's office, whose brief is to conduct criminal interrogations in drugs cases. Unfortunately, we are very unhappy with the work of the courts, which are too lenient when setting penalties for drug traders.

Due to the seriousness of the situation, several Latvian local governments (Riga, Jelgava, Liepaja, Ventspils) co-operate with the "European cities against drugs" movement. Riga signed the Stockholm declaration in 1994. The above-mentioned cities have allocated funds for drug prevention schemes. There are two positions in regard to financing for the treatment of drug addicts. First, financing for detox is sufficient at the moment. Second, there is shortage of rehabilitation or therapeutic communities. There are some problems with legislation what concerns treatment time (prolongation), too. It is essential to start treating drug addicts in places of incarceration, so as to be able to apply the principle "treatment in the place of incarceration" with conditional sentence reduction if the treatment has been successful. The number of therapeutic communities for teenage and adult drug addicts must be increased. There are currently only three of these in Latvia, in Riga, Straupe and Rindzele. Thanks to a World Bank loan and the support of the UNDCP, a teaching program for schools (the teachers' handbook "Students and Drugs") and a teaching program on "Addiction and prevention of addictive substances" for four class groups (1-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12) have been developed and are being introduced. Unfortunately, there is a lack of funding for teacher's salaries and out-of-class education.

The lecture was prepared with the support of V. Kipens, head of the Riga bureau of "European cities against drugs", the Welfare Ministry, the Narcology Centre, the AIDS Prevention Centre, and the Interior Ministry's Narcotics Combating Bureau.