Cannabis and cocaine remain the most commonly used illegal drugs in the European Union, but a growing number of other substances are posing serious risks to public health.
A recent report from the European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reveals that nearly one in three Europeans have experimented with illegal drugs at some point in their lives. However, drug habits and their health consequences vary significantly across the continent.
Frequent drug use is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, mental health disorders, accidents, and infectious diseases such as HIV in cases involving injectable substances.
In 2024, approximately 15% of young adults in the EU used cannabis, while 2.5% reported using cocaine. Among all adults, cannabis consumption is highest in the Czech Republic, Italy, France, and Spain, while it remains lowest in Malta, Turkey, and Hungary. Meanwhile, cocaine use is most prevalent in the Netherlands, Spain, and Ireland, with the lowest rates recorded in Turkey, Portugal, Poland, and Hungary.
Interestingly, strict drug policies do not appear to significantly impact availability, particularly for young people. “The major penalties impact only the people who use the substance once or fewer times in a year, so not the real [heavy] users,” said Sabrina Molinaro, an epidemiologist and research director at the National Research Council of Italy.
Molinaro’s research, which has tracked drug use among 16-year-olds in Europe since the 1990s, indicates that generational patterns in substance use remain stable. She noted that while teenage boys traditionally used cannabis more frequently than girls, recent years have shown a narrowing gender gap, with some countries now reporting higher usage among girls.
Beyond cannabis and cocaine, other drugs such as MDMA (ecstasy), heroin, synthetic opioids, psychedelics, and lab-made stimulants are gaining traction. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) has warned that synthetic drugs are particularly concerning, as they are difficult for authorities to regulate and eliminate swiftly.
In 2022, hundreds of synthetic drug labs were dismantled across the EU, and in 2023, seven new synthetic opioids—known for their extreme potency—were detected through the bloc’s early warning system. With an increasing influx of new substances, Europe’s drug landscape is becoming more complex and challenging to control.
