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Surge in new opioids and designer drugs threatens Europe, EU drug agency warns
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 5, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 5, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
The EU drug agency warns of new opioids and designer drugs threatening Europe, with rising cocaine and cannabis use complicating health risks.
MADRID (Reuters) -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 warned of new synthetic opioids, particularly nitazenes, which it said posed "severe poisoning" risks. Nitazenes can be orders of magnitude stronger than heroin - or even fentanyl - and have been linked by U.S. and British authorities to increases in overdose deaths.
The report - which compiled data from the 27 EU member states plus Norway and Turkey - stressed 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 said.
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 was also rising, as shown by record seizures of 419 tons in 2023. Major ports in Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands were key entry points, the report said.
(Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Inti Landauro and Edwina Gibbs)
The report highlights massive shipments of previously unknown recreational designer drugs and potent new opioids, particularly nitazenes, as significant threats.
Seizures of synthetic cathinones reached 37 metric tons in 2023, indicating a worrying trend in drug trafficking.
Nitazenes are new synthetic opioids that pose severe poisoning risks and can be significantly stronger than heroin or fentanyl.
Cannabis remains Europe's most consumed illicit drug, with increasingly potent products complicating health risk assessments.
Cocaine use is rising, with record seizures of 419 tons in 2023, particularly at major ports in Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands.
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