Prevent Cocaine Tsunami From Taking Lives

Target: Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Norway

Goal: Strengthen protections against cocaine trafficking and invest in customs inspections.

Cocaine is becoming one of the most commonly used and destructive drugs in Europe. The health effects of cocaine dependency are diverse and abundant: psychosis, chest pain, high blood pressure, stroke, and a host of other ailments that can lead to death. Addiction also makes users more susceptible to other deadly consequences, such as fatal accidents and suicide. And about 20 percent of overdose deaths on the continent are attributable to cocaine.

Tens of thousands of shipments of cocaine have been seized in Europe over a year’s time, in what is being called a “cocaine tsunami” by officials. Norway has been hit particularly hard, and evidence suggests that many shipments are passing through undetected. Customs inspections are woefully understaffed and underfunded, however, which is exacerbating the unfettered flow of cocaine into communities.

Advocates are pleading for more investment in combating this growing public health epidemic. Sign the petition below to join in calls for immediate reform.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Prime Minister Store,

An estimated two-and-a-half million young Europeans have used cocaine recently. Cocaine wastewater residue has reportedly confirmed the rapid rise of cocaine use in Norway and across Europe. This drug has been responsible for hundreds of deaths and a host of long-term health complications within European countries.

Norway’s customs officials have long warned of a “cocaine tsunami,” but their caution is seemingly being dismissed and ignored. Reportedly, just one mobile scanner is being shared amongst three ports. Add the lack of essential equipment to a lack of qualified employees and a lack of general funding, and one of Norway’s most insidious public health crises is quickly escalating.

Please make correcting these deficiencies and providing a strong line of defense against drug trafficking an urgent priority.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Argv0