Sweden has become a leader of amphetamine use in Europe, TV4 TV channel reports. This is according to data from the European Agency for Monitoring Drugs and Drug Addiction, which were obtained during the study of sewage in a number of countries and cities in the region for the content of drugs. The Scandinavian kingdom topped the sad list for the third year in a row.
The European Union has conducted a record-breaking study of wastewater for drugs. The purpose of the work was to determine the bad habits of Europeans. The Swedish cities involved in the study were found to have the highest concentration of amphetamine, TV4 reports.
Last year, the EMCDDA European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction collected wastewater analyses from 104 cities in 21 European countries to collect and summarize information on European drug use. The study, which has been conducted annually since 2011, includes the Swedish cities of Jevle, Sandviken and Söderhamn for the third year in a row. Samples were collected by the authorities of the respective cities for one week in the spring of 2022. They were subsequently analyzed for the presence of amphetamine, cannabis, ketamine, cocaine, MDMA and methamphetamine, writes TV4.
The highest levels of amphetamine in relation to the population were found during the measurement period in Jevle and Sandviken, followed by cities in Belgium and Germany. The material reports that in 2020 and 2021, it was the Swedish cities that had some of the highest levels. A potential bias in wastewater measurements may be that it is not always possible to distinguish between illegal drugs and legal drugs, such as ADHD medication that contains amphetamine.
Levels of cocaine were highest in cities in Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands. The undisputed leader in this category was the port city of Antwerp, a major transshipment point for further smuggling of the drug into Europe. This leads to another possible margin of error, since not all of the drugs in the sewage were necessarily consumed. For example, cocaine flushed down the toilet during a police raid can dramatically increase the measured value, TV4 notes.
The highest concentration of methamphetamine was detected in the Czech Republic. Cannabis levels were highest in Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland. MDMA, in turn, was most prevalent in cities in the Netherlands and Belgium. The highest levels of the anesthetic ketamine, studied for the first time, were found in Denmark.
According to the EMCDDA, cocaine, MDMA, and methamphetamine were more prevalent in large cities and to a greater extent on holidays, indicating more “recreational” use. Levels of amphetamine and cannabis were more evenly distributed throughout the week. Researchers speculate that differences between cities in the same country may be related to the availability of universities, nightlife and age structure of the population, TV4 summarizes.
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