Most of the annual 7.000-8.000 acute drug deaths or overdoses in the EU are drug-injection related. Drug injectors are sources of sexually transmitted diseases.

This will mean that on the streets there will be a higher number of addicts, a greater number of overdoses and deaths, not to mention the increasing incidence of the transmission of hepatitis B, C and HIV among the drug users.

- preventing, in drug-dependent pregnant women, the effects of drugs on the foetus and the risks of transmitting infections to the child,

Evidence from Europe suggests that safe injection facilities can provide a cost-effective means of engaging the most marginalized and at-risk drug users and help to address the following objectives: one, improving the overall health of drug users, including reducing the incidence of overdose and disease transmission; two, reducing the harm associated with illicit drug use—for example, crime, discarded needles, public drug use, these things that affect entire communities; three, increasing appropriate use of health and social services by drug users; and four, reducing health, social, and legal incarceration costs associated with drug u ...[+++]se.

Assessment of the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of the general public and certain target groups (populations with high-risk lifestyles or in high-risk environments, marginalized communities), information and awareness-raising campaigns for the public and these groups; 2. Examination and exchange of information about HIV/AIDS in schools and other educational and training establishments for young people in the Member States; 3. Prevention of HIV transmission among particular groups and in particular settings (travel and tourism, prisons, drug users, women exposed to specific risks of infection by HIV, vertical transmission of HIV fr ...[+++]om mothers to children...), 4. Elaboration and dissemination of manuals, information bulletins and directories providing the latest information on prevention of transmission of HIV, care and therapy and on organizations providing information and support, encouragement of networks of organizations, particularly in the non-governmental sector; 5. Appropriate support for epidemiological monitoring systems in the member States to improve the quality and accessibility of data at Community level; 6. Analysis at Community level, in co-operation with member States , of actual and potential discriminatory situations in the Member States, notably in the field of employment, insurance, housing, education and health-care system; 7. Promotion of closer links with other Community programmes related to HIV/AIDS, including research and international assistance, and enhancement of Community added value.

Section 10 allows the making of regulations dealing with safe custody, documentation of transactions, record-keeping, packaging and labelling, transport, methods of destruction, prescriptions, the supply of information on prescriptions to a central authority, the licensing of doctors to supply controlled drugs to addicted patients, and the notification by doctors of their addicted patients.