Filenews 27 June 2023
8.1% of adults aged 15-34 in Cyprus used cannabis in the last year. This is demonstrated by the European Documentation and Drug Addiction Centre (EMCDDA) European Drug Report 2023.
The report was presented yesterday by the Cyprus Addictions Authority (AAEK) on the occasion of World No Drugs Day.
The corresponding figure in Europe is 15.1%. According to Ms. Ioanna Giasemi, Head of the Monitoring Department of EKTEPN who presented the research, in May 2022 HHC appeared, which is chemically similar to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC), the main psychoactive substance of cannabis.
The report shows that the high availability of drugs for all types of substances in Europe, an increase in synthetic drugs, the emergence of new substances and new production practices on the market demonstrates.
In addition, he said a key message from the report's analysis is that the impact of illicit substance use is seen almost everywhere in society and almost anything with psychoactive properties has the potential to be used as a drug.
The 2023 European Drugs Report highlights the growing importance of synthetic drugs, the emergence of new substances, new production practices in the drug market, and the fact that many of the harms associated with substance consumption are exacerbated by interactions between substances consumed jointly with the knowledge or knowledge of users.
He said the continued detection of synthetic cannabinoids alongside natural cannabinoids in plant material raises similar concerns.
Cannabis, he said, remains the most frequently consumed illegal substance and, in 2021, the quantities of cannabis seized reached their highest level during the decade, pointing out that for 2021, 816 tons of cannabis resin and 256 tons of herbal cannabis were seized in the European Union.
He said the impact of high cocaine availability was reflected in concerns about rising both health-related problems and crime levels, including violent crimes linked to drug market activities.
He noted that the amount of heroin seized by EU member states more than doubled in 2021 to 9.5 tonnes. Yasemi explained that almost all heroin consumed in Europe comes from Afghanistan, where the Taliban announced a ban on the cultivation of opium poppy in April 2022.
