Police in Finland's Kymenlaakso region report that minors typically obtain drugs from other young people rather than adult dealers. Authorities note this pattern creates a dangerous peer-to-peer distribution network that complicates enforcement efforts.
Criminal Commissioner Lari RönkÀ explains that drug experimentation often begins around moped age when teens first encounter police testing. Officers conduct drug tests on moped riders similar to alcohol screenings. This brings initial drug use to official attention during routine traffic stops.
RönkÀ works with the Southeast Finland Police Department's serious crimes unit. He observes that young drug users rarely appear in official statistics because most never interact with law enforcement. The system primarily captures adults aged 20-40 for drug offenses.
Police encounter drug users through various investigations. In Hamina, youth opioid use emerged years ago during a robbery series investigation. The thefts were committed to fund drug purchases. Long-term drug use frequently connects to other criminal activity.
Money isn't the only currency in drug transactions. Police occasionally investigate cases involving sexual exploitation of children. These marginal cases typically surface during sexual crime investigations where minors received illegal substances in exchange for sexual favors.
RönkÀ states that drugs reach users through downward distribution chains. Young people typically know someone who knows someone. A minor selling drugs to other minors is probably also underage or recently became an adult.
While drugs circulate on platforms like Snapchat, RönkÀ notes the app presents no greater danger than school grounds. Young people hesitate to buy from complete strangers. They need to see and meet the seller personally.
Drugs remain relatively affordable. A gram of marijuana costs about 20 euros street price. Daily use quickly escalates to 100 euros weekly, an expenditure parents would likely notice.
Heli Vaija, prevention expert with EHYT ry, emphasizes open, honest, age-appropriate conversations about substances. She recommends coordinated efforts with other parents and constructive conflict resolution as children mature.
Anni Amberg, prevention coordinator for Kymenlaakso welfare region, highlights basic needs like eating, movement, school attendance, friendships and sleep. She references a new digital self-care path offering youth-focused content on these topics.
Police note that frightening warnings and prohibition don't effectively reach young people. Realistic, non-provocative discussions work better. Parents should listen to youth perspectives and let them conclude drugs are harmful.
Identifying youth drug use presents challenges. Friend groups, behavior, appearance and financial needs may change. Parents sometimes remain too close to recognize warning signs. Denial remains likely when directly questioning teens about substance use.
Teachers and regular contacts best detect substance issues. Authorities see youth too infrequently for accurate assessment. Legal medications and natural temperament further complicate evaluation.
Small repeated actions create major impacts over time. Listening, showing interest and offering praise help parents support drug-free lifestyles. Adults must withstand children's unpleasant emotions and occasional disappointments.
Rational thinking doesn't always drive decisions. Home environments matter significantly. Permitting substance use at home lowers thresholds for later use. Parents should never offer, distribute or enable children's drug use.
Risk factors include poor social skills, emotional intelligence deficits, weaker decision-making and problem-solving abilities. Lack of family supervision, harsh or neglectful parenting and inability to meet children's needs increase vulnerability. Permissive parental attitudes, exposure to use situations, drug-positive role models, parental substance use, stressful environments and frequent school absences also elevate risks.
Protective factors include strong parent-child relationships, safe growth environments, clear boundaries, rules and expectations. Children's experience of support, acceptance and trust in guardians aids drug-free living.
Parents should demonstrate interest in homework and activities, ask about school and training experiences, and maintain consistency. These actions show caring.
Electronic cigarette and nicotine pouch use grows among Kouvola youth. Earlier fall data from THL's school health survey shows 15% of junior high students use tobacco, e-cigarettes, snus or nicotine pouches. This declined from 22% previously.
Nicotine pouch use jumped from 7% to 10% over two years. Amberg calls this growth explosive nationwide. Youth snus use dropped from 8% to 3% in Kymenlaakso.
Substance use trends generally follow national patterns locally, but e-cigarettes prove more popular among regional youth than elsewhere. High school students lead e-cigarette statistics at 31%, compared to 21% in vocational training.
Sober youth concentrate in grades 8-9, with fewest abstainers in vocational schools. Binge drinking has decreased. More young people avoid alcohol, tobacco and snus entirely.
Since August, tobacco substitute possession became illegal for under-18s. THL recommends raising sales age to 20, suggesting possible further restrictions.
Youth drug experimentation remains unchanged from previous years. 16% of vocational students, 8% of high school students and 8% of 8th-9th graders report trying drugs. These figures are indicative since some hesitate to answer anonymous surveys about illegal substances.
Parents learned about upper secondary and vocational students' substance situations during a Tuesday evening information session. Kymenlaakso municipalities' preventive substance work network organized the event during Prevention Week.
The Kymenlaakso welfare region launched a digital self-care path for youth online. The Clear Direction! platform helps 13-17-year-olds strengthen wellbeing anonymously. It addresses multiple factors affecting youth welfare from rest and movement to eating and school attendance.
The self-care path offers reflection tasks, tips, exercises, texts and videos on these themes. Users can proceed directly to relevant topics or review sections at their own pace. The platform communicates available help and connection methods for various services.
Clear Direction! appears in the Oma Kymenlaakso service's care paths section. Service access requires strong identification.
The situation reveals complex challenges in addressing youth substance use. While official statistics show limited minor involvement, police acknowledge this reflects underreporting rather than actual prevalence. The peer distribution model makes intervention particularly difficult since young dealers operate within their social circles rather than through obvious criminal networks. Parents and schools remain frontline defenses, needing to balance vigilance with maintaining open communication channels that don't drive behavior underground.