The latest RELIS report, published on Wednesday, offers up encouraging developments as consumption of opiates falls in Luxembourg, although the use of cannabis is on the rise among young people.

Cannabis remains the most widely-used drug in the Grand Duchy, increasingly popular among young adults, while cocaine is also on the rise. The consumption of opiates has dropped, however, according to the latest report published by the Luxembourg Information Network on Drugs (RELIS.)

Cannabis - number one, especially among teenagers

At a national level, cannabis is the most popular drug consumed in Luxembourg. In comparison to 2014 figures, consumption rates have increased only marginally, and Luxembourg remains below the EU average for consumption among young adults aged 15 to 34.

However, an increase in consumption was observed among the youngest members of that category (15-18 years old) between 2006 and 2018. The report noted this increase primarily took place among teenage girls.

RTL

Si on exclue les drogues dites légales (alcool et tabac), le cannabis reste prédominant. Exemple ici avec ce graphique qui rapporte la proportion d'usagers récents de drogue parmi les visiteurs d'événements festifs et nocturnes (données 2014-2019). / © Redis 2021

Other substances

Opioids, and heroin in particular, remain the most commonly used drugs among high risk users. Despite this, consumption has dipped and remains marginal, in contrast to cocaine and mixes or cocktails of drugs, which have observed an increase.

Drug use by inhalation has begun to gain ground over injection, according to observations made in drug consumption spaces. Inhalation is a lower-risk mode of consumption, contributing to a reduction in the risks of overdose or transmission of disease. In 2020, the Grand Duchy saw four new cases of HIV identified among drug users, compared to 5 cases in 2018 and 3 in 2019.

The average age of overdose victims has risen to 41.5 years, although the number of fatal overdoses has dropped from 26 in 2000 to just six in 2020.

Sale of illegal drugs

Cannabis accounted for 67% of all drug seizures in Luxembourg in 2020. Figures peaked in 2019, when authorities confiscated 371 kilogrammes of cannabis from 1,316 seizures in total. Cocaine and heroine seizures are somewhat less apparent in the Grand Duchy.

Since 2014, the purity of cocaine on the market has tended to increase, while 2019 and 2020 observed an initial stagnation. As for cannabis, its average concentration of THC increased from around 9% in 2012 to 14.5% in 2020.