According to the latest findings from the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Geneva has dethroned Amsterdam in average cannabis consumption.
To reach this conclusion, the Observatory analyzed the wastewater of 104 European cities as part of the study ” Wastewater analysis and drugs – a European multi-city study“, published by the European group SCORE, in association with the EU anti-drugs agency (EMCDDA).
In 2022, nearly 181 mg of cannabis residues were found, every day and per thousand inhabitants, in the wastewater of Geneva.
3 other Swiss cities were tested: Zurich and Basel come in 5th and 6th position while Bern is far behind by Swiss standards with 11th place. This makes Switzerland, within this ranking, the first consumer of cannabis in Europe.
Ranking of cannabis use in Europe
As a study by the University of Geneva has shown, approximately 750,000 joints are smoked every day by our Swiss neighbors for an estimated total annual turnover of one billion Swiss francs.
Amsterdam comes in 2nd position and Barcelona in 3rd position.
It should be noted, however, that neither France nor the United Kingdom (apart from Bristol) were part of the study in 2022. Using the results of 2021, Paris would arrive 9th in the ranking, ahead of Prague.
The analysis also reveals an increase in detections of cocaine and methamphetamine.
