Warsaw: The EU’s new drug report reveals shocking findings. According to the report the amount of cocaine trade in the European Union has risen to a new record level. There are now even sales centers delivering cocaine. Saarbrücken and Erfurt in Germany are the top two places where cocaine is selling through these centers in Europe.
According to the report 96 million adults between the age of 15 and 64 have tried illegal drugs at least once in their lives in Europe. Cannabis is the most popular drug, consuming about five times more than any other drug. These are just two of the findings of the latest EU drug report published in Brussels on Thursday.
According to the report, Europe has witnessed an unprecedented spike in the amount of cocaine circulating within its borders. The rise has reached an alarming record level, prompting authorities to intensify efforts in combating the drug’s spread.
Cocaine trade risen to newlevel
Cocaine trade, in particular, is currently experiencing a boom in Europe. 104 tonnes of the drug were seized in 2017, about twice as much as in the previous year – and illegal use has reached record levels.
The importance of heroin, which has dominated the European drug market for a long time, declined, with fewer and fewer people injecting opioids. At the same time, long-term users are ageing and the average age of people who died from overdoses has risen.
Nevertheless, the number of deaths associated with drug use has remained stable overall. In 2017, 9461 people died of drugs in the EU, Norway and Turkey, a figure similar to the previous year. More than three-quarters of drug deaths are related to opioids such as heroin.
The challenges we face in the field of drugs are increasing,” says Alexis Goosdeel, Director of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), which releases the report every year. Not only herbal drugs such as cocaine are on the rise, but there is also a growing market for synthetic drugs in Europe. More and more drugs are also being produced in Europe.
In order to find out how many people consume which drugs, the EMCDDA uses sophisticated methods. For example, wastewater in cities is analyzed to determine drug residues. Online surveys and information from drug testing centers and hospitals were also included in the report
However, cannabis remains the most widespread illegal drug. 27% of all adults in the EU have tried cannabis at least once in their lives. Of young Europeans aged between 15-34, 14% have used the drug in the last 12 months, with men twice as many as women. In France, in particular, the use of drugs by young people is high
