Health risks of drugs in Finland - can the risks be managed?

In the HUUTI consortium research project, the illicit use of drugs and consequences thereof among Finnish people were studied, also seeking possible new pharmacological therapies for dependency problems. The epidemiological part included 4,817 persons, who attended the services for drug users at Helsinki Deaconess Institute between 1997 and 2008. The majority were below 35 years of age. The average level of education was low and the proportion of employed was small. On the average, 3.5 different substances were being used, of which buprenorphine and amphetamine were the most common primary drugs, cannabis being the most common secondary drug. An almost tenfold mortality was observed in the follow-up comparison with the reverence population.