Pafos Live 6 June 2025
There were 17 deaths in 2023 due to drug overuse, compared to 5 in 2022 and 14 in 2004, according to data presented by Ioanna Giasemi, Head of the Monitoring Department of the Cyprus Addiction Treatment Authority, during the presentation of the European Report on Drugs for the year 2023 and the case of Cyprus.
According to an announcement by the AAEK, Mrs. Giasemi also referred to the seizures of cocaine by the Anti-Narcotics Agency (YKAN), saying that in 2023 24.7 kilograms were seized compared to 37.9 in 2022 and one in 2004. The seized quantities of herbal cannabis amounted to 554.2 kg in 2023, in 2022 to 348.3 kg and in 2004 to 23 kg.
It presented data from the 6th in a series of surveys in Cyprus for the general population, with a final valid sample of 3,500 people, aged 15 – 64 years, using the method of multi-stage stratified sampling. As Mrs. Giasemi said, in the general population, a total of 314 people made intravenous use in 2023, in 2022, 331 and in 2006, 283. Of the 314, 136 were examined, 170 of the 331 and 98 of the 283.
For the prevalence of cannabis use in 2023, 18% of the general population has used at least once in their life, 6% have used recently and 3.1% have current cannabis use. In 2019, the corresponding figures are 14.% for one-time use, 4% for recent use and 2.2% for current use. Also, in 2006, single use reached 6.6% of the general population, recent use 4.3% and current cannabis use 2.5%.
