Cocaine use has drastically increased in Europe, a European monitoring agency said. Researchers from the Europe-wide SCORE group, along with the EU drugs agency, collected wastewater samples from 54 million people and around 104 cities across Europe. The results revealed that major cities like major European cities like Belgium, Spain, Portugal has a drug problem.
Researchers Looked For 6 Drugs
Researchers Looked For traces of a total of six drugs i.e. amphetamine, cocaine, methamphetamine, ecstasy and ketamine and cannabis. The results showed a constant increase in cocaine traces, a phenomenon on the rise since 2016. The distressing thing about the results was that each and every participating city had traces of all illicit drugs.
What Does Wastewater Tell Us
Study of wastewater reveals the lifestyle and likes and dislikes of people, Alexis Goosdeel, Director of EMCDDA said. The wastewater tells interesting stories and can reveal future health hazards that the community is expected to face, he said. All the 104 cities are facing a complex and widespread issue that can seriously hinder cognitive and memory functions of millions of people, causing an all out pandemic.
