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At Tallinn Shelter, More Children Using Hard Drugs
A children's protective custody establishment in Tallinn says it is seeing more children - girls in particular - with an injected drug habit this year.
"A number of the girls in our shelter lived with older men who were fentanyl dealers," said Erki Korp, head of the Tallinn Children's Shelter.
"The girls themselves became users and it spread to the schools as well."
In recent years the number of juvenile alcohol users was greater than the drug users, but now the balance is shifting to the other side.
"This year most of the older boys and girls have a drugs background, whereas in 2009, two-thirds were alcoholics and one-third into drugs,“ said Korp.
Many abuse multiple drugs and some have developed serious habits at just age 14-15, the director said.