The study showed who is most intoxicated in Europe: where is Lithuania ranked?
The study was conducted in 26 countries and covered 80 European cities. Officials are fighting and cracking up on new gangs, but the drug business is not standing still, as evidenced not only by searches of dealers ’homes, but also by the most basic sewage surveys. The European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction, together with the European Sewage Survey Group, took surveys in the countries of the effluent and obtained tangible results.
Higher concentrations of cocaine, methamphetamine and amphetamine residues were detected in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda than in 2020.
When a substance is used, certain drug metabolites are formed in the liver of a person, which enters the sewage with us.
Evelina Pridotkienė, the interim director of the Drug, Tobacco and Alcohol Control Department (NTAKD), says that such a study is to determine the prevalence of drug use in major Lithuanian cities.
“The study covers about 80 cities in 26 countries. Three cities in Lithuania are participating – Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipeda. The aim is to determine the prevalence of drugs, ie when a person consumes a substance, certain metabolites are formed in his liver, which enters the water from the drugs in the urine. In the laboratories, that water is tested to determine which drugs have been used in Lithuania, in those three cities, at some point in time. Last year, this research was conducted in April, “explained E. Pridotkienė.
The use of these three drugs in Lithuania’s major cities has increased compared to the 220s, but it is worth noting that April 2020 was the first wave of a pandemic that could have affected less drug use.
“For each city, we have seen a significant increase in cocaine, amphetamine and methamphetamine use in all three cities compared to 2020. MDMA, or ecstasy use, was declining in all three cities. Let us not forget that 2020, when the study was carried out, was the first pandemic year and there was also a spring there, it was the first closure, then we saw a real reduction in a certain amount of material. In 2021, it will gradually return to pre-pandemic levels. We see an increase in all three materials in all three cities. We can single out, for example, in 2021 cocaine was mostly found in Vilnius, although in 2020 it was mostly in Klaipeda. MDMA is found in Vilnius and Kaunas, amphetamine is also found in Vilnius, but methamphetamine from all three cities is mostly found in Kaunas, ”said the temporary director of NTAKD.
The study showed that MDMA is a party drug, and amphetamine and methamphetamine are used regularly, required from days of the week.
“It simply came to our notice then. In each European country, samples are taken at certain times every day. That week is calculated to include both working days and weekends. We see an obvious difference, for example, MDMA consumption on weekends jumps several times. This shows once again that MDMA is a party drug. If we look at amphetamine or look at methamphetamine, there’s such an obvious difference between weekends and weekdays. This shows that people use amphetamine and methamphetamine regularly, whether it is a weekday or a weekend. Consequently, those people are at increased risk, ”said E. Pridotkienė.
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The price of cocaine has fallen and it is starting to be produced in Europe. The price online can also be lower and the quality better because you can leave product reviews there.
According to price users, cocaine use in Lithuania has increased due to the emergence of cocaine users in Europe, which has led to a decline in the drug. Increased consumption is also likely to lead to more convenient and cheaper online drug purchases.
“Preventive measures are working, but we can’t expect results in a year or two. These are long-term results and we can see some declines in ten or fifteen years. Nevertheless, these studies show us an increase in cocaine. We talk to experts, we look at other studies, and experts say the price of cocaine has dropped, it is starting to be produced in Europe, not in South America. Another thing is online marketing. During the pandemic, not only household goods and food are being bought online, but also drugs. The price online can also be lower and the quality better because you can leave product reviews there. In addition, the general population survey, if we compare innovative methods with standard ones when we ask “do you use drugs?”, Also shows us that accessibility, because when you ask people if it would be easy for you to get drugs, they say, “ yes, within 24 hours it would be easy enough for us to get drugs in one place or another. ” Of course, cannabis is the easiest to get, but cocaine is the second best thing to do, ”said the interim director of NTAKD.
It is not possible to detect the exact addresses that were used in the drug because the effluent flows into the general system.
“It simply came to our notice then. Our goal is to determine the overall prevalence of consumption, what are the trends. If you wanted to identify specific people, you would need a separate, very detailed study, ”said E. Pridotkienė.
Vilnius ranks 44th out of 78 countries in terms of cocaine use. We rose to nineteenth place with MDMA intake.
Among all 26 countries surveyed, Lithuania is approximately above average in all drug categories studied. Interestingly, the most popular methamphetamine in the Czech Republic is five cities in the country for prizes in terms of drug use.
“It simply came to our notice then. This is also shown by the general population survey, when we examined the results of the survey, which revealed that drug use in Lithuania is twice lower than in Europe. This is also shown by the sewage survey, for example, Vilnius is in 44th place in 78 countries in terms of cocaine use. MDMA consumption rose to nineteenth place in 78 countries. Of the other drugs, we are in 23rd, 29th place. The prevalence of drugs in Lithuania is not as high as in other European cities. In the Czech Republic, up to five cities and all five are in first place in terms of methamphetamine use. Riga is in sixth place and Kaunas in nineteenth. Cocaine use is high in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. Methamphetamine is mostly seen in the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia. Amphetamine use is higher in northern European countries. We are everywhere through that middle ground, ”confirmed E. Pridokienė.