Cocaine ‘resurgence’ in EU
BRUSSELS: Europe is witnessing a “resurgence” in cocaine use as the drug’s output increases in Latin America, an EU watchdog reported yesterday, voicing concern over tens of thousands of people seeking treatment for the first time.
An estimated 2.34 million people aged between 15 to 34 used cocaine in the last year in the European Union, or 1.9% of that age group, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) said.
“The findings from our new report indicate that Europe is now experiencing the consequences of increased cocaine production in Latin America,” EMCDDA director Alexis Goosdeel said.
Under the headline “resurgence of cocaine in a dynamic drug market,” the report said wastewater analysis, the presence of purer strains and increased seizures all pointed to cocaine becoming more available in Europe.
Its findings were based usually on figures from 2016 and 2017.
It said there were increases of cocaine residue in municipal wastewater in 26 of 31 European cities surveyed in the last three years.
The highest traces were found in cities in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Britain, with the lowest in eastern European cities.
The agency said the purest strains of cocaine in a decade were being sold on the street.
It also said the price has reportedly remained relatively constant.
The authorities also made 98,000 seizures of the drug amounting to 70.9 million tonnes in 2016, up from 90,000 seizures in 2015, the agency said.
The centre noted that 30,300 people were admitted for the first time to specialised treatment centres in 2016, up nearly 20% over 2014.
Though treatment centre admissions have not returned to the high levels a decade ago, Mr Goosdeel warned: “We must be concerned about the health implications of cocaine.”
Goosdeel stressed “the growing importance of providing effective prevention, treatment and harm-reduction interventions for cocaine users”.
In Europe, cocaine is most commonly available in the form of white powder, though also found in the smokeable form of crack cocaine.
It is made from the leaves of the coca bush, which is cultivated mainly in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru.