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Heroin is the most common opioid on the European drug market. Other opioids seized by law enforcement agencies in European countries in 2013 included opium and the medicinal products morphine, methadone, buprenorphine, fentanyl and tramadol. Some medicinal opioids may have been diverted from pharmaceutical supplies, while other opioids are manufactured specifically for the illicit market. The United Nations estimates suggest a substantial increase in opium production in Afghanistan, the country supplying most of the heroin consumed in Europe. A potential knock-on effect in availability is therefore possible, and it is worrying that estimates of the purity of heroin available in Europe are on the rise, resulting in a higher level of the active substance tetrahydrocannabinol, which could lead to more overdoses.
Worryingly, 14 new synthetic opioids have been reported since 2005, among which are several highly potent uncontrolled fentanyls. Alongside recent declines in the number of heroin seizures, decreases were also observed in indexed trends for price and supply offences. Some countries have expressed concern about possible increased availability.
Problems related to heroin still account for a large share of the drug-related health and social costs in Europe, although recent trends in this area have been relatively positive. Recent data continue to show declining treatment demand and heroin-related harms, but a number of market indicators raise concern. In some countries where purity increases have been observed, overdose deaths have also increased in recent data. It is unclear if these increases are linked, but this question warrants research attention.
Cocaine, in Europe, is available in two forms, the most common of which is cocaine powder and less commonly available is crack cocaine, a smokeable form of the drug. The drug is produced almost exclusively in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, and is transported to Europe by both air and sea routes. Decreases in cocaine use are observable in the most recent data; of the countries that have produced surveys since 2012, eight reported lower estimates and three reported higher estimates than in the previous comparable survey. In 2013, the number of seizures and the volume seized are at levels considerably lower than the peak values reached in 2006 and 2008. Indexed trends for cocaine-related offences show an increase since 2006. Meanwhile, over 800 deaths associated with cocaine use were reported in Europe in 2013. More...
