June 26 is International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, writes Gazeta Wyborcza. In Poland the war with drugs is in fact a battle with people. In the fight against addiction, Poland is some 30 years behind the west, with this country’s restrictive regulations and moral condemnation of addicts. The daily quotes experts who say that there is lack of adequate attitudes, help centers, information and education.
An addict only makes the headlines when his or her children die after swallowing ecstasy pills, writes Gazeta. Prisons are full of more or less addicted people whilst there are no dealers there and substitute treatment is still considered evil, while data shows that this kind of therapy has helped many addicted people.
Gazeta Wyborcza publishes an appeal to start treating addicts as sick people and not debased, immoral criminals. Addiction does not only mean drugs, it embraces alcohol, cigarettes, painkillers or tranquilizers. These people need help not condemnation writes the daily.
Higher taxes or the presidential seat asks Dziennik in a poll. If the government decides to raise certain taxes it may have a very negative effect on the chances of Prime Minister Donald Tusk in the presidential race next year. For the time being the PM is the unquestionable leader in all public opinion polls concerning presidential candidates.
The race will start in over a year, but the daily has found out that if presidential elections were to be held now, the announcement of higher taxes would diminish Tusk’s chances significantly. 49,2 per cent of the respondents would immediately withdraw their support for Donald Tusk as president, while 40.7 per cent would not change their mind.
Dziennik quotes experts who say on the one hand that the crisis and following harsh decisions of the government cannot thwart Tusk’s plans, and on the other point that US research clearly shows that crisis, higher taxes lead to a drop in popularity .
Summer holidays just beginning, writes Rzeczpospolita. The Polish Baltic coast is one of the finest places for leisure in Europe. According to one of the largest travel portals TripAdvisor, the Polish coast is among the top ten destinations in Europe.
TripAdvisor has sent its recommendations for summer 2009, and among the beaches of Spanish Ibiza, Portuguese Algarve or Turkish Bodrum, features the beaches on the Polish Baltic coast. The list of top ten beaches was prepared following remarks of over 25 million users of TripAdvisor, writes Rzeczpospolita.
Foreign tourists are attracted not only by the long sandy beaches and by dunes, but also by high standards of bed and breakfast and delicious food.
All the dailies mourn the King of Pop. His heart stopped suddenly, writes Gazeta Wyborcza. Rzeczpospolita headlines ‘Michael Jackson was pop’, he turned songs into masterpieces, and video clips into artistic films. The world lost a controversial to many a fantastic star but first and foremost an unrivalled musician ,writes the paper. (ab)