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The Catalan capital presents triple the amount detected in Amsterdam, the second on the list
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Marijuana use in the city was double that registered in the Dutch city in 2021
Marijuana has experienced a boom in recent times that has been especially noticeable in Catalonia on several fronts, including the criminal consequences that have entailed the commitment to a business that, far from suffering stoppages, grew with the coronavirus pandemic. In any case, Barcelona is an example of this boom, and this is demonstrated by the data from the European Drug Agency (EMCDDA, for its acronym in English), reports ACN.
The Catalan capital is, according to the organization’s latest statistics, the city in the European Union (EU) in whose wastewater the most cannabis has been detected. The data, which was released this Thursday, also indicates that in Barcelona more than twice as much marijuana is consumed than in the second city on the listtraditionally associated with this product for having been a pioneer in allowing its consumption: Amsterdam.
In Barcelona, an average of 450 milligrams are detected every day of cannabis for every 1,000 inhabitants. In Amsterdam, just over 150 milligrams. The increase that the Catalan city has experienced attests that the presence of the substance in its wastewater has increased by 200% compared to the last year before covid, 2019, when the amount was 149 milligrams per 1,000 inhabitants per day. According to the EMCDDA, cannabis is the most widely used illegal drug in Europe, with 22.1 million users.
Cocaine down
While cannabis increased its presence, cocaine has slightly reduced its footprint in Barcelona’s wastewater, eighth on the EU list in that section. The Belgian town of Antwerp heads that classification. The presence of MDMA has also decreased in the Catalan capital.
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The cannabis boom in Spain had a lot to do with the arrival of the pandemic. On the one hand, because for many people it became an economic alternative at a time when the traditional sectors experienced a break and or a drop in activity that led many people to unemployment or furloughs. On the other hand, consumption increased. In other words, in these last two years, supply and demand have grown at the same time, as is logical.
In Catalonia, illegal plantations have proliferated in a special way and the Mossos have warned that the crimes associated with this sector have increased and have generated a conflict that has become a relevant concern for the Administration.