Europe used more cannabis but said no to ecstasy in 2021, a new survey says

An online poll conducted last year shows that Europeans prefer marijuana to ecstasy pills. The acceptance of cannabis in Europe has come a long way over the past few years. Europeans are no longer ashamed to disclose their cannabis use.

The new survey suggests this increase is somehow due to the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. During this time restrictions were in full force and use of ecstasy was expected. However, surveys conducted between March and April 2021 on the use of both drugs tell a new story.

Cannabis use is increasing while ecstasy use has decreased.

The latest European survey

The latest online operation, conducted by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), was carried out in 30 countries – 21 are members of the European Union, including Portugal. At the same time, the others are not members of the EU. Results on the extent of cannabis and ecstasy use concluded that use of MDMA, also known as ecstasy, has decreased while use of herbal cannabis or hemp is increasing.

The EMCDDA reported that 33% or a third of respondents said they were using more herbal cannabis and almost half (44%) admitted using less MDMA. The organization says the main aim of the survey was to get a clear understanding of drug use patterns in Europe and neighboring countries. This data will help define future drug use regulation interventions and policies in the Region.

According to the EMCDDA, these data show self-selected samples of Europeans who reported having used one or more illicit drugs in the past year.

Over 48,500 adults in 21 European Union Member States took part in the online survey. Many of them said their most commonly used drug was cannabis or hemp. 93% of these users said they had used it at least once within the last year. A comparison of the data from the individual countries shows only very small deviations. Following this trend, online responses to ecstasy or MDMA show that 35% say they have used the drug activity within the past year. The survey also collected data on other illegal substances, such as amphetamines and cocaine. 35% of respondents use cocaine while 28% use amphetamines. According to this online survey, cannabis is the most commonly used illicit substance in European countries, closely followed by cocaine and ecstasy. The ranking of these three drugs in the European countries studied varies slightly.

20% of sample countries reported having used LSD in the past 12 months, 13% used ketamine, and 16% reported trying new psychoactive substances (NSP) found in local markets. Only 3% of the population groups surveyed reported using heroin. The Lisbon-based institution clarified that the reported sample was too small. The Observatory found that around 26% of these respondents reported higher heroin use over the period studied. Note that all respondents who answered this survey are at least 18 years old. Some participants are based in the Western Balkans, including Bosnia, Herzegovina, Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro.

The survey was conducted in three neighboring European countries for the first time last year. Respondents in these countries – Lebanon, Ukraine and Georgia – answered the survey through EU4MD, an EMCDDA technical assistance project. The results from these countries will be published in a few months.

consumption rooms

The survey also asked for data on the places where respondents used these substances. 86 percent of respondents in the EU and 70 percent of respondents in the Western Balkans said they had used these substances at home. This is likely due to the harsh penalties that could be imposed for public use of these substances. Respondents indicated that the motive for using herbal cannabis was for relaxation, to improve sleep, or for recreational purposes. MDMA or ecstasy users, on the other hand, used the substance for its euphoric and socializing effects.

This study covers only a small portion of the European Union, but the sample populations provide useful information about the drug habits of residents in these states. Alexis Goosdeel, EMCDDA Director, wrote that the web survey does not tell the full story of drug use in the region; However, given the appropriate methods used to conduct this survey, as well as the traditional data collection technique used, it has presented a realistic and detailed account of drug markets and drug use in Europe.

He mentioned that around a hundred organizations have contributed to the success of the initiative, including academic institutions, NGOs and the Reitox national focal points. He also commended the organizations for their involvement in sorting and analyzing the data obtained. He claims internet polls will provide more information on the continent’s evolving drug problems.

These online surveys can reach audiences in less time and still get the same results. Goosdeel stressed that the results obtained represent the availability of many illicit drugs across Europe and the emerging trends of some of these drugs at the peak of the pandemic and currently as things are normalizing. He expressed his hope that the results would be invaluable in determining drug policy in the region.

Conclusion

These self-reported data provide an integrated overview of the prevalence of illicit drugs across Europe. It provides insight into the active use of these substances by adults aged 18 and over. The data paint a picture of the overall population of Europe and neighboring countries, detailing intensive cannabis use, decreasing frequency of ecstasy use and the motivation behind the use of these substances.

Similar studies were conducted in the United States last year to shed light on cannabis use in legal and illegal states. Some studies have also been conducted to illustrate the percentage of Americans who accept the legalization of cannabis. The global cannabis industry is brewing and it is expected that the use of other illicit drugs such as ecstasy will decline in favor of cannabis use.

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