Stimulant Consumption by Luxembourg Residents Below EU Average, European Drug Report Shows

The European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCCDA) has published its annual drug report on Tuesday 14 June 2022, providing an up-to-date overview of the drug situation in Europe.

In particular, the publication “European Drug Report 2022: Trends and Developments” highlights a rapid rebound in drug supply and consumption following the disruptions related to COVID-19, as one of the main issues. In Luxembourg, the recent consumption of stimulants in the general population (fifteen to 64 years old) and among young adults (fifteen to 34 years old) is below the respective average rate within the European Union (EU).

The report also highlights the need to strengthen care and risk, and harm reduction services in Europe for people who inject drugs. In 2020, only Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Spain and Norway reported meeting the World Health Organization (WHO) 2020 targets of providing 200 syringes per year per person who injects drugs and having 40% of the population of problem opioid users on opioid substitution therapy, a protective factor against drug overdoses. There are, however, large differences between countries and treatment provision remains insufficient in many EU Member States.

The report describes further how drug problems in Europe continue to evolve, and how innovation is driving the drug market. While the international situation raises new challenges, the report also examines how current world events may affect the dynamics of the drug problem in Europe in the future.

For the preparation of the report, each Member State of the European Union collected its information at the national level. In Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Focal Point of the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (Point Focal Luxembourgeois de l'Observatoire Européen des Drogues et des Toxicomanies - PFLDT) is responsible for this. It is located within the Department of Health. To obtain information, the PFLDT carries out several studies each year. The resulting results are included in the European report and provide an overview of developments within the EU.

The “European Drug Report 2022: Trends and Developments” is available online via: https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/edr/trends-developments/2022_en.