Cocaine use 'rises in Europe'

2007-11-22 12:37

Brussels - Cocaine use in Europe has risen sharply in recent years, along with supplies of the drug, and more people are seeking treatment for abuse, according to a report.

The "2007 annual report on the state of the drugs problem in Europe" found that an estimated 4.5 million Europeans were likely to have used cocaine in the last year compared to 3.5 million from a 2006 report.

"The new data confirms cocaine's place as Europe's stimulant drug of choice and as its second most commonly used illicit drug after cannabis," said the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.

At least 12 million Europeans - four percent of all adults - were estimated to have tried cocaine, which often entered Europe from South America, while about two million had used it in the last month.

The report said indicators of the impact of cocaine were the demand for health treatment and seizures of the drug.

Almost one quarter of demands for new treatment (22%) in Europe were cocaine-related, it found, close to three times the figure for 1999.

Drug seizures were up significantly in Spain and Portugal - the main point of entry for cocaine was the Iberian Peninsula - while criminal offences related to its use and traffic rose in all EU countries except Germany.

An estimated 107 tons entered Europe in 2005, 45% higher than the previous year.

- AFP