'Drugs take all you love'

Users die 10 years younger than average age for addicts.

A popular meeting spot for substance abusers near central Helsinki, even the addicts warn that Finland has a spiralling drug problem, particularly among young people. The situation had reached "a whole new level", one man in his early 30s, who introduced himself only as Stefano, said.

Government statistics lay bare the extent of the problem: a record 310 drug-related deaths in 2023, reflecting an upward trend since 2015.

A total of 91 deaths were of people under the age of 25, the highest yet in that age group and almost double that of the previous 12 months.

Only three other EU countries - Slovakia, Austria and Luxembourg - fared worse for drugs deaths of under-25s in 2022, according to the bloc's drugs agency.

But Finland has the unenviable record of its users dying about 10 years younger than the average age for addicts in the bloc of about 40.

"The situation has become unbearable," said Annuska Dal Maso, head of outreach work at the A-Clinic Foundation in Helsinki, which helps substance abusers.

Now, she and others worry about the expected arrival of harder drugs like the powerful opioid fentanyl - and the system's ability to cope.