The availability and diversity of drugs on the market have reached high levels and are among the most important challenges of the present, draws attention to the 2023 report of the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).
Marijuana smoking pipePhoto: Emil Helms / AFP / Profimedia
Synthetic drugs are becoming more and more widespread. New substances, previously unknown, appear more and more often, and the drug industry adopts new production methods. Among users, many of the negative effects of drug use are amplified when different types of drugs are used at the same time.
In 2021, the European Union recorded a record number of drug seizures. 303 tons of cocaine were seized in the member countries of the European Union. Heavy seizures were also made of cannabis, still the most widely used drug, according to the report.
Consumption is becoming a problem at younger and younger ages. Last year, across the European Union, on average, 15% of young people aged between 15 and 34 used cannabis, 2.3% used cocaine and 1.3% amphetamines.
