EU Drug Market: Cannabis — Introduction
This resource is part of EU Drug Market: Cannabis — In-depth analysis by the EMCDDA and Europol.
The illicit market for cannabis products is the largest drug market in Europe. Cannabis is also the most commonly consumed illicit drug both in Europe and worldwide. In 2021, at the global level, 219 million adults (aged 15-64), were estimated to have used cannabis in the past year, a 4.8 % increase compared to 2020 (UNODC, 2023).
In the EU, it is estimated that about 84 million adults (aged 15-64) have tried cannabis at some point in their lives and 22.6 million have used cannabis in the last year. There is a comparatively high proportion of use among younger European adults, with an estimated 8.6 million people aged between 15 and 24 having used cannabis in the last year and 4.5 million in the last month (EMCDDA, 2023b).
In 2021 in the EU around 98 000 clients entered specialised drug treatment for problems related to cannabis use (34 % of all treatment demand), with about 55 000 seeking treatment for the first time. Cannabis use was the main drug problem most frequently cited by new treatment clients, accounting for 45 % of all first-time treatment entrants. More than half (51 %) of all those entering treatment for problems related to cannabis use in 2021 reported using the substance on a daily basis.
The illicit cultivation of cannabis mainly yields two distinct cannabis products: herbal cannabis (also known as marijuana) and cannabis resin (also known as hashish or charas). However, lately there has been an increasingly broad variety of products available on the illicit cannabis market in the EU, although reliable information about these products is limited. These include cannabis oil and hash oil and a variety of other high-potency extracts of cannabis collectively known as ‘concentrates’ (e.g. rosin, crumble and wax). In addition, various edible and vaping products have emerged on the European market recently, and some of those that contain THC (the main active ingredient of cannabis), may be produced in Europe or smuggled from other regions.
The cannabis products available on the EU market all differ in terms of their ‘potency’. In pharmacology, ‘potency’ is often related to the amount (dose) of the drug required to produce an effect. Therefore, using ‘potency’ to describe the concentration of THC in cannabis products is not technically correct. A more accurate term would be ‘strength’, which is the amount of THC in a defined unit of the product. However, for consistency with previous publications and reports, we use the term ‘potency’ throughout this report (see Box THC and CBD).
A large share of the European market for cannabis products is supplied by a wide range of diverse criminal networks that are adaptable, flexible and composed of individuals from EU and non-EU countries. Criminals operating within the EU exploit, and may to a certain extent drive, the high demand for the drug in Europe. They are involved in cultivating the plant and producing a variety of associated products, mainly a range of herbal cannabis products and, to a lesser extent, other products such as cannabis resin. In addition, the European market is also supplied from non-EU countries. These include first and foremost Morocco for cannabis resin and, to a lesser extent, countries of the Western Balkan region for herbal cannabis. In addition, there are indications that North America is emerging as a source of cannabis for EU markets.
In general, the criminal networks active in the cannabis trade in the EU cooperate by sharing resources and engaging jointly in criminal projects. Furthermore, a variety of specialists supply services to these networks, from expertise in cultivation of herbal cannabis, production of consumer products, provision of equipment, transportation and final distribution of products to consumers. Key enablers of the networks supplying illicit cannabis products in the EU include the exploitation of legal business structures, corruption and violence. Despite the cooperation that occurs between networks, much of the violence among criminals reported to Europol in past years has been connected to the illicit cannabis market.
References
Consult the list of references used in this module.