ONE IN TEN YOUNG ADULTS IN CYPRUS USED CANNABIS, DATA SHOWS - in-cyprus 23/9 by Theodosis Pipis
Europe’s cannabis market is changing, with a wider range of products, higher-potency cannabis and new trafficking methods emerging across the continent. Cyprus is part of that broader shift, although available national data show a more mixed picture of cannabis use.
Cannabis remains Europe’s most widely consumed illicit drug. An estimated 8.7 percent of Europeans aged 15 to 64, around 25 million people, reported using it in the past year, according to the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA). But patterns of use vary considerably between countries, and national trends are not uniform.
In Cyprus, the latest available data cited by the EUDA show that 10.6 percent of people aged 15 to 34 had used cannabis in the previous year. The figures come from a 2022 national survey, meaning they predate the latest European developments in cannabis markets and regulation.
Among younger people, the picture is also mixed. The 2024 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs found cannabis remained the most widely used illicit drug among participating European countries, with an average of 13 percent of 15- to 16-year-olds reporting lifetime use.
The EUDA report points to changes in what consumers can access. Traditional herbal cannabis and cannabis resin remain the most common products, but markets now include low-THC products, cannabidiol (CBD), high-potency extracts and edibles. Semi-synthetic cannabinoids, including substances produced from CBD, have also appeared on commercial markets in parts of Europe.
The agency says the growing variety of products is making the health consequences harder to assess. Daily or almost-daily cannabis use is associated with dependence, chronic respiratory symptoms and psychotic symptoms, while early initiation, high-potency products and long-term regular use are among the factors most closely associated with problems.
Cannabis also accounts for about one-third of drug-treatment admissions in Europe. In 2024, an estimated 104,000 people entered specialist treatment for cannabis-related problems across the EU, Norway and Türkiye, with around 62,000 of them entering treatment for the first time.
The market is changing on the supply side as well. The EUDA estimates Europe’s cannabis market is worth more than €12 billion and says trafficking networks have diversified their routes and methods. While seizures of cannabis resin in the EU fell sharply in 2024, the quantity of herbal cannabis seized remained broadly stable.
Spain continued to account for the largest quantities of seized cannabis resin, although seizures there fell by 45 percent in 2024. At the same time, Belgium recorded a 1,075 percent increase in herbal cannabis seizures and the Netherlands a 278 percent increase, with authorities reporting large consignments originating from North America and other non-European regions.
The report also highlights the emergence of new trafficking techniques, including the use of drones and speedboats, alongside cannabis shipments arriving in Europe from Canada, the United States and, to a lesser extent, Thailand.
For Cyprus, the report does not provide a specific assessment of the country’s cannabis trafficking routes or market size. Its data instead place the country within a wider European market in which products, consumption patterns and supply chains are becoming more varied.
European governments are also taking different approaches to cannabis policy. Malta, Luxembourg and Germany have introduced limited measures allowing private cultivation and possession, while the Netherlands is conducting a controlled supply-chain experiment. In January 2026, Czechia legislated to allow individuals to cultivate up to three cannabis plants for private consumption.
The EUDA says the differing approaches make monitoring and evaluation increasingly important. The extent to which these policy changes affect consumption, health outcomes and illicit markets remains an area of ongoing assessment.
(Source: EUDA)
