EU report: Double whammy of high purity and new chemicals pose unknown risk to drug users
Another Seizures 2021, High In File Confiscated Picture Record Tonnes 303 Cocaine Reached With
Europe is being hit by a double whammy of widely available narcotics, often of high purity, and an increasing number of new chemicals which pose unknown risks to unsuspecting users, the EU’s drugs agency has warned.
The ease of access to illegal drugs on the streets of Europe is despite “record” seizures by law enforcement agencies, with hauls of cocaine reaching new records in 2021 and seizures of cannabis climbing to their highest level in a decade.
The European Union Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (Emcdda) is particularly concerned at the threat posed by synthetic, or man-made, chemicals that both mimic and multiply the effects of heroin, stimulants and cannabis.
Citing previously published Irish data, the agency’s European Drug Report 2023 shows that Ireland has the highest usage rates for cocaine in the EU and second highest MDMA (ecstasy) rates, but below the EU average for cannabis use.
Ireland continues to be near the top of the table for fatal drug overdoses, and was second behind Finland in 2021, although Irish data dates from 2017. The Emcdda also cautions that there is “uncertainty” about drawing conclusions as the capacity of countries to report accurate data varies.
“Drug-related organised crime poses a major threat to society,” European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said. “I am deeply concerned that the substances consumed in Europe today may be even more damaging to health than in the past.”
“The European Drug Report 2023 describes how Member States are seizing record amounts of illicit drugs.”
Emcdda director Alexis Goosdeel said the report highlighted the dangers posed by stimulants, such as cocaine, synthetic drugs and new cannabis products.
“It is crucial that we increase forensic and toxicological testing to better detect emerging threats and safeguard public health,” he said, adding that the agency would launch a European network of forensic and toxicological laboratories in 2024 as part of a stronger mandate.
The report said that trends in cannabis products available comes at a time of change in how some countries are addressing cannabis use in particular, with moves towards regulation in Germany, Czechia, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands.
The agency stressed that these changes, which are being examined and considered in Ireland by the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use, need to be monitored and evaluated “to fully understand their impact on public health and safety”.
It said seizures of cannabis resin and herb reached their highest level in a decade, suggesting “high availability” of the drug.
The report said the availability of high-potency extracts and edibles (such as the cannabis-infused sweets) was of “particular concern”, saying they had been linked to acute toxicity presentations” in emergency departments.
It said there was a “growing concern” that consumers may be at risk of inadvertent exposure to synthetic cannabinoids, with a rise in such seizures in 2021 and the detection of 24 new cannabinoids in 2022.
It said synthetic cannabinoids were “highly potent” and that they had also been found in the edibles, as has been detected in Ireland, prompting HSE warnings.
Cocaine seizures reached another record high in 2021, with 303 tonnes confiscated. It said that in 2022, the quantity seized in Antwerp, Europe’s second largest port, rose to 110 tonnes, compared to 91 tonnes in 2021.
It said the high seizures were an indicator of “widespread availability” and that despite the large seizures cocaine purity at retail level remains high by historical standards and its price is stable”.
In relation to heroin, the report said that following a drop in seizures in 2020, hauls doubled in 2021 to 9.5 tonnes, while seizures in Turkey, a major transit route, increased to a record 22.2 tonnes.
It said it was too early to say how the Taliban ban on opium poppy cultivation would have on heroin supply but said there were “fears” that any shortage in the availability of heroin could result in greater demand for, and supply of, synthetic opioids.
It said most synthetic opioids are “highly potent” and that new substances continued to appear.
“Even if problems in this area are relatively limited at present, this group of substances represents a threat, with the potential to impact more significantly on European health and security in the future,” the report said.
It added that because only small quantities are needed to produce thousands of doses it is potentially “more lucrative” for organised crime groups.
In relation to harm reduction policies, the report said 16 European countries, which includes Ireland, have introduced take-home naloxone, an antidote for opioid overdoses.
In addition, 10 countries report having opened at least one supervised drug consumption room. While Ireland’s long-awaited supervised injecting centre cleared the final planning hurdle early this year, it is not expected to become operational until 2024.
The report said 12 European countries report the existence of some type of drug-checking service.
The HSE established its first drug checking last year and is running the second of its three services in 2023 at the Body and Soul music festival in Co. Westmeath this weekend.
HSE received 97 samples – surrendered anonymously into designated bins – at the Life dance music festival, also in Co. Westmeath, at the end of May.
It issued three alerts during it in relation to high-strength ketamine, MDMA and cocaine in circulation. The MDMA content tested ranged from 50mg to 246mg. The Emcdda report said the typical content across Europe in 2021 was between 150mg to 170mg.
The HSE technicians also found one cathinone—synthetic stimulant—3-CMC and one substance called ‘tuci’, described as a pink powder containing a mixture of drugs and found for the first time.