EU to provide 2.5 million euros to Colombia for anti-drug program

BOGOTA, Dec. 31 (Chinese media) -- Colombian authorities said on Wednesday that

the European Union (EU) would provide 2.5 million euros (some 3.4 million U.S.

dollars) in aid to Colombia for developing programs against the consumption of

synthetic drugs.

Carlos Albornoz, director of the National Direction of Narcotics (NDN),

said that the aid will be used to organize anti-drug campaigns and prevent drugs

from entering the country.

"The synthetic drugs are a new fashion among youngsters. I have been told

in nightclubs and bars the cocaine is not consumed as much as the synthetic

drug," Albornoz said.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has called for severer punishment on drug

trafficking, which currently is under discussion in many sectors.

Colombia, together with another main cocaine producer Peru, would receive

training from the EU on detecting the new drug and treating the addicts,

Albornoz added.

"We did not know how to identify the Ecstasy (one of the primary synthetic

drugs threatening young people) or to treat the addicts, so we singed an

agreement with the EU within the frame of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN),

and will receive aid on anti-drug training programs," Albornoz said.

According to UN statistics, youngsters between 12 and 17 years old in

Colombia consumed most Ecstasy among the Latin American countries.