Cypriots prefer cannabis to get high

A new drug report shows that cannabis is the most popular drug in Cyprus, while Cypriot towns are among European cities with the highest levels of methamphetamine detected in wastewater.

According to a Country Drug Report 2018 on Cyprus, part of a wider study by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug among the general population in Cyprus, with approximately one in t adults aged 15-64 years reporting cannabis use at least once during their lifetime.

But more regular cannabis users, such as people who smoke marijuana, are typically aged between 15 and 34 according to the study, which also found a strong link between gender and illicit drug use.

The mean age for cannabis experimentation is 18-20 years, according to the study, and this coincides with mandatory army service for young males fresh out of high school.

The mean age at cannabis experimentation is 18-20 years, which coincides with an obligatory enrolment to and release from the National Guard service for males. Use of new psychoactive substances is also concentrated among 15- to 34-year-olds, with synthetic cannabinoids being the most popular substances reported.

Meth epidemic 

Nicosia and Limassol participate in the Europe-wide annual wastewater campaigns undertaken by the Sewage Analysis Core Group Europe (SCORE).

This study provides data on drug use at a municipal level, based on the levels of illicit drugs and their metabolites found wastewater.

An increasing trend was observed for the period 2013-17 for levels of amphetamine, methamphetamine and MDMA/ecstasy.

Cypriot cities are among the European cities with the highest levels of methamphetamine detected in wastewater, while the levels for amphetamine and MDMA remain below those reported by most other cities participating in the study.

In Limassol, higher levels of drug residues for all stimulants were detected during the weekend than on weekdays, but this pattern could not be observed in Nicosia.