EU Citizens Spend $27.3 Billion On Drugs Annually

There is a new report that contains a surprising figure on the level of drug use in the European Union. According to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), EU citizens spend more than 24 billion euros ($27.3 billion) every year on illegal drugs such as cannabis and heroin. The report warns about the funding for terrorism and organized crime but the report is an insight into the level of drug use in Europe.

Europol director Rob Wainwright estimated about one third of all identified organized crime groups “are involved in the drug trafficking trade.” Of course, advocates for legalization would say that the solution is to allow greater legal source for such drugs. That position is strengthened by the fact that cannabis led in 2013 with 38 percent of the market. Heroin is the second most popular at 28 percent with cocaine at 24 percent. Amphetamines are estimated at 8.0 percent while ecstasy is estimated at 3.0 percent.

What was particularly interesting was his estimate that over 20 percent of those involved in smuggling migrants into Europe are also involved in drugs trafficking.

The entry paths are also changing. Heroin is increasingly trafficked via routes involving Africa, the southern Caucasus, Syria and Iraq. Obviously those are areas that are heavily laden with terrorism and groups like ISIS have been accused of trafficking in drugs.

Source: Yahoo