At the end of last week, the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) published its annual report on drugs in Europe, which gives an overview of the main trends in drug use in the EU.
According to the findings of this report, cannabis remains the most commonly used illicit drug in Europe, with around 8% (22.6 million) of European adults (aged 15-64) estimated to have used it in the past. past year. It is estimated that around 1.3% of adults in the EU (3.7 million people) consume it on a daily or almost daily basis.
Cannabis seizures also reached their highest level in ten years, accounting for a significant share of all drug seizures in the EU.
In 2021, 816 tons of cannabis resin were seized, along with 256 tons of herbal cannabis, indicating that cannabis is widely available on the continent.
At the same time, around 566,000 cannabis use or possession offenses were reported in the EU in 2021 (an increase of 10,000 on 2020 figures), as well as 100,000 supply offenses .
Spain accounts for 66% of the number of cannabis seizures in the EU and just under three quarters (74%) of all seizures of cannabis plants in the EU, based on weight.
The scale of cannabis use in Europe
The report also presents the prevalence of cannabis use and patterns of use in Europe.
The countries with the highest prevalence of cannabis use are: Czech Republic (11.1%), Spain (10.6%), France (10.6%), Netherlands Low (10.4%), Croatia (10.2%) and Italy (10.2%), followed by Germany (8.8%) and Finland (8.2%).
Looking specifically at cannabis use among young adults, an estimated 15.3 million people between the ages of 15 and 34 used cannabis in the past year, with men typically twice as many. likely to report having used cannabis than women.
Among 15-24 year olds, 8.6 million (18.2%) have used cannabis in the past year, and 4.5 million (9.6%) in the previous month.
If we examine the prevalence of use among the youngest (15-34 years), the Czech Republic is also the country where the prevalence of use is the highest (22.9%), followed by Italy (20.9%), Croatia (20.3%), France (19.2%), the Netherlands (19.2%) and Spain (19.1%) .
Cannabis and its impact on public health
Cannabis is thought to be the cause of almost a third of drug addiction treatment admissions in Europe. An estimated 97,000 people will be in some form of drug treatment for problems related to cannabis use in 2021. Of these people, 83% are men and only 17% women, and slightly more than half of them report using cannabis daily.
The report says there is a need to better “understand the types of problems experienced by cannabis users, as well as the referral pathways and treatment options available to those with cannabis-related problems.”
It also highlights the challenges posed by “new cannabis products”, which may contain synthetic cannabinoids and high levels of THC, as well as hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), the first semi-synthetic cannabinoid reported in the EU and which has been identified in two thirds of the Member States.
New policies and steps towards reform
These findings come as five EU member states (Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands) and Switzerland introduce, or plan to introduce, new approaches to regulating the supply of cannabis for recreational use. .
These changes “underline the need to invest in monitoring and evaluation in order to fully understand their impact on public health and safety,” the EMCDDA said in a press release at the launch of the report.
Malta made history in 2021 by becoming the first country in the EU to legalize cannabis for recreational use for adults. By law, adults are allowed to carry up to 7g of cannabis and grow 4 plants for personal use.
Speaking to local media last week, Karen Mamo, head of policy, research and harm reduction and member of the Responsible Cannabis Use Authority (CURA), said the changes made the law to allow “responsible use of cannabis” within certain limits have not normalized the use of cannabis, nor encouraged people to start using the drug.
Like Malta, more and more European countries are looking to move away from criminalization towards a public health approach to drug policy. There is growing evidence that punitive policies are ineffective in preventing drug use and even exacerbate the risk of harm.
Then there are the economic benefits that a regulated cannabis market could bring. With 22.6 million consumers, a report released last year by analysts at Prohibition Partners estimates that the European cannabis market could be worth up to 11.6 billion euros.
Stephen Murphy, co-founder and CEO of Prohibition Partnerswarned that the illicit market is “taking advantage” of strong demand for cannabis in Europe and could put consumers at increased risk.
“The EMCDDA has always provided solid research on drug use, particularly cannabis, but the lack of integration with other government agencies in the EU has meant that most of this data has not resulted in only with little or no action,” he told CannabisHealth.
“The increase in prosecutions is also accompanied by a significant shift in police services across Europe, which have taken a more liberal approach to cannabis, preferring to reserve their resources for serious crime and policing matters. »
“The report clearly shows that the growing demand for cannabis among Europeans is being exploited by the illicit market, which increases the risks for consumers. »
He added: “What is positive in a way is the increase in the number of users who seek treatment for drug abuse, although it is obvious that more research is needed on this subject. However, current drug policies have enabled the establishment of toxic supply chains that exacerbate the need for treatment”.
To find out more about the European Drug Report, click here.
