The presence of ketamine in Barcelona's wastewater has increased by 77.2% in 2023, according to the latest data published by the European Observatory for Drugs and Drug Addiction this Wednesday. The detection of MDMA in the waters of the Catalan capital has also increased: 20% more than the previous year. These increases coincide with the trend in Europe, where the consumption of these two substances is increasing, as indicated by wastewater analyses.
This adds to the "persistent increase" in cocaine remains. Although the levels have stabilized in the last year, Tarragona remains the second European city with the highest presence of cocaine in wastewater, only behind Antwerp, in Belgium.
In the case of cannabis, the Catalan city that presents the most traces of this narcotic in wastewater is Barcelona, which in turn continues to occupy third position in the ranking of European cities, behind Rotterdam and Basel. However, in the three Catalan cities analyzed (Barcelona, Tarragona and Lleida) cannabis levels in wastewater have increased.
Cannabis is the most widely consumed illicit drug in Europe, with an estimated 22.6 million users last year, according to the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction. Surveys on cannabis use suggest that, overall, around 8% of European adults (22.6 million aged 15-64) are estimated to have used cannabis in the last year.
Analysis of wastewater from a hundred European cities indicates that cocaine consumption "continues to be highest" in the west and south of the continent, particularly in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. Although the levels are lower, there is also an increasing trend in MDMA consumption in Europe, especially in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.
Methamphetamine use is "generally low and historically concentrated in the Czech Republic and Slovakia," but is also present in Belgium, eastern Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Turkey.
