Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1470876
NEWS 5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 15 JUNE 2022 MATTHEW VELLA THE rapid bounce back of drug supply and use following COV- ID-19 disruption were among the issues highlighted by the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) as it launched its European Drug Re- port for 2022. Drug availability remains at high levels across the EU – in some cases, such as cocaine, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Cannabis products are also be- coming increasingly diverse with the production of synthetic drugs within Europe is on the rise. Wastewater analysis, for exam- ple, reveals increases in the use of cocaine, crack, amphetamine and methamphetamine in some cities between 2020 and 2021. As COVID-19 restrictions have been relaxed across Europe, drug treatment and other services ap- pear to have returned to 'busi- ness as usual'. "The take-home message from this report can be summarised in three words: everywhere, everything, everyone. Established drugs have never been so acces- sible and potent new substances continue to emerge," EMCDDA Director Alexis Goosdeel said. "Today, almost anything with psychoactive properties can be a drug, as the lines blur between licit and illicit substances. And everyone can be affected, wheth- er directly or indirectly, as drug problems exacerbate most of the other important health and social challenges we face today." New psychoactive substances (NPS) continue to appear in Eu- rope at the rate of one per week, posing a public health challenge. In 2021, 52 new drugs were re- ported for the first time through the EU Early Warning System, bringing the total number of NPS monitored by the EMCDDA to 880. In 2021, 6 new synthetic opi- oids, 6 synthetic cathinones and 15 new synthetic cannabinoids were reported for the first time. Record amounts of NPS were seized in Europe in 2020 total- ling 6.9 tonnes (41,100 seizures). Of the material seized, 65% (3.3 tonnes) were synthetic cathi- nones, often sold as replacements to cocaine and MDMA. Following controls on synthetic cathinones in China, most bulk quantities of these substances trafficked to Europe in 2020 orig- inated in India, probably reflect- ing market adaptation to legal controls and supply disruptions. At the end of 2021, the EM- CDDA was monitoring 162 syn- thetic cathinones, making it the second largest category of NPS under observation after synthetic cannabinoids (224 monitored). Record synthetic cathinone traf- ficking to Europe and reports of harms (e.g. poisonings) have prompted new responses. Cannabis – Europe's most popu- lar illicit drug Developments in the cannabis area are creating new challeng- es for how countries respond to Europe's most commonly consumed illicit drug. Cannabis products are becoming increas- ingly diverse, including extracts and edibles with high THC con- tent, and CBD products with low THC content. In 2020, the average THC con- tent of cannabis resin was 21%, almost twice that of herbal can- nabis (11%), reversing the trend seen in recent years, when herbal cannabis was typically of higher potency. This reflects market in- novation as resin producers, usu- ally from outside the EU, appear to have responded to competi- tion from herbal cannabis pro- duced inside Europe. Signs of rising drug production Over 350 illegal drug produc- tion laboratories were dismantled in 2020, including some large- scale cocaine, methamphetamine and cathinone production sites. The latest analysis suggests the availability of cocaine in Europe remains high, bringing with it a range of health threats. A record 213 tonnes of cocaine were seized in the EU in 2020 (202 tonnes in 2019), while 23 laboratories were dismantled (15 in 2019). The number of MDMA labora- tories dismantled (29) remained relatively stable in 2020. In ad- dition, 15 cathinone production sites were dismantled (5 in 2019) and 860 kg of chemical precur- sors for cathinone production were seized (438 in 2019). Al- though less common, illicit lab- oratories producing heroin, ket- amine, GBL and DMT were also dismantled in the EU in 2020. Drug problems in Europe can be influenced by developments occurring internationally. De- spite the 2022 Taliban ban on the production, sale and trafficking of illicit drugs in Afghanistan, poppy cultivation appears to continue. The country's current financial problems might make drug revenues a more important source of income, which could lead to an increase in heroin traf- ficking to Europe. Drug use across Europe back to pre-COVID levels