Drugs 'probably cheaper than ever before'

Drugs in Europe are at their cheapest for five years and are probably cheaper than ever before, according to a report released yesterday.

The 2006 Annual Report of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction found that the price of illicit drugs in Europe has fallen over five years for most substances, with some prices almost halved. The findings were based on a five-year trend analysis (1999-2004) and the research is the first of its kind carried out at European level.

The greatest drop in price was in the cost of ecstasy, which fell by 47 per cent, while brown heroin fell by 45 per cent. The price of cocaine dropped by 22 per cent, amphetamine fell by 20 per cent and cannabis resin fell by 19 per cent. The smallest reduction was found in herbal cannabis, which dropped by 12 per cent on average across Europe.

The report did find, however, a variation in prices across European countries. While most countries reported prices for cannabis resin to be between € 5 and € 10 per gram, prices were as low as €2.3 per gram in Portugal and over € 12 per gram in Norway.

Prices for the most common form of heroin, brown heroin from south-west Asia, also varied a lot: from € 12 per gram in Turkey to € 141 per gram in Sweden.

The report said that though long-term data on drug prices are still not widely available, existing information suggests that prices may have fallen over the last decade, with cocaine and heroin cheaper in some countries than in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Speaking yesterday, the chairman of the monitoring centre, Marcel Reimen, said that price is just one of many factors influencing people's decision to take drugs.

"At present we see no simple relationship between general consumption levels and the price of drugs on the street. Nonetheless we cannot fail to be concerned that across Europe drugs are becoming cheaper in real terms," he said.

"If this means that those who have a tendency to consume drugs will use them more, then the ultimate cost of drug-taking in terms of healthcare and damage to our communities is likely to be considerable."

Cannabis, produced mainly in Morocco, Pakistan and Afghanistan, remains the most commonly used illegal substance in Europe, according to the report, with an estimated 65 million European adults, aged 15-64, having tried the substance at least once.

Cocaine ranks in second place and the monitoring centre estimates that around 10 million European adults have tried it at least once. The highest rates of use are found in Spain and the UK, where it is estimated that 4 per cent of young adults have tried it.

In Ireland the rate is estimated at 2 per cent, in the moderately high bracket, with Denmark, Italy and The Netherlands. In general the drug is used more in wealthier European countries among young, urban males and at present usage is at an historic high in Europe.

Also included in the report, a survey of young people in dance music settings found that they are 10 times more likely than those in the general population to have tried stimulant drugs. In some cases two-thirds of club goers reported using the substances at least once. The survey was carried out in nine countries but did not include Ireland.