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European cannabis markets are shifting.
This week, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) launched its European Drug Report 2024: Trends and Developments. While the report covers many types of substances, from opioids to cocaine, cannabis and cannabinoids receive more than a passing mention.
When it comes to cannabis, it is a moment of great change in Europe, the report notes, as “there is an ongoing debate on how best to respond to the use of this drug, with some countries modifying their regulatory approach.”
“We are also seeing significant developments in the cannabis market. Taken together, this all means that there remains a pressing need to understand better the potential harms associated with different patterns of cannabis consumption and the implications this raises for policy and practice,” the report continued.
There are some noteworthy data points:
• Roughly 8% of the population has consumed cannabis in the past year, and about 1.3% are daily consumers.
As you’ll see in the consumption map below, Spain stands out for its cannabis consumption.
• Cannabis seizures are increasing and “trafficking routes may be diversifying.”
The top types of cannabis seized are flower and resin. And, Spain is a hotspot of both “production” and “trafficking,” the report notes. “However, it is important to note that significant cannabis production also takes place elsewhere in the European Union.”
• Seizures also indicate that THC potency is rising.
Europe is also dealing with intoxicating hemp products, or “semi-synthetic cannabinoids.”
“These are substances thought to be produced from cannabidiol extracted from low-THC cannabis (hemp), not controlled under the international drug conventions. Probably the most commonly encountered semi-synthetic cannabinoid is hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), but also more recently hexahydrocannabiphorol (HHC-P) and tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THCP) have become commercially available in some EU Member States,” the report notes.
“These substances have been sold as purportedly ‘legal’ alternatives to cannabis, adding to the regulatory challenges in this area.”
