Overview

• The European Union Drugs Agency monitored over 1,000 new psychoactive substances and found a sharp rise in synthetic cathinone and opioid use across Europe in 2024.
• Authorities dismantled 53 synthetic cathinone production sites in 2023—40 of which were in Poland—marking a shift from Asian imports to local manufacturing.
• Nitazene opioids, some stronger than fentanyl, have been detected in fake prescription pills and linked to recent overdose clusters in at least 12 countries.
• Cocaine remains the leading illicit stimulant with 4.6 million European users in 2024 and record seizures of 419 tonnes reported for the seventh consecutive year.
• Drug-induced deaths climbed to 7,500 in 2023, predominantly from opioids, prompting experts to call for expanded drug checking and targeted research.