Surge in new opioids, designer drugs threatens Europe: EU drug agency

Massive shipments of previously unknown recreational designer drugs and potent new opioids are threatening Europe, while traffic of cocaine and cannabis is worsening, according to the European Union Drugs Agency's annual report published on Thursday.

Seizures of synthetic cathinones — stimulants chemically akin to the active ingredient in khat, a plant widely consumed in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula — reached 37 metric tons in 2023, primarily imported from India. Seven new cathinones were identified last year, suggesting their growing prevalence.

The report also warns of new synthetic opioids, particularly nitazenes, which it says pose “severe poisoning” risks. Nitazenes can be orders of magnitude stronger than heroin — or even fentanyl — and have been linked by US and British authorities to increases in overdose deaths.

The report — which compiled data from the 27 EU member states plus Norway and Turkey — stresses the need for improved monitoring and alert systems, as well as better preparedness and cross-sector collaboration to combat drug-related crime and public health risks.

Meanwhile, cannabis remained Europe's most consumed illicit drug, with increasingly potent products complicating health risk assessments. The average tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content in cannabis resin has doubled over the past decade, the report says. In 2024 authorities detected 18 new varieties of semi-synthetic cannabinoids such as hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), which in many countries can be sold legally because those molecules are often not explicitly banned.

Cocaine use is also rising, as shown by record seizures of 419 tons in 2023. Major ports in Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands are key entry points.

Reuters