European drug report 2025: Trends and developments
The European drug market is evolving rapidly as both suppliers and consumers are finding ways to adapt to geopolitical instability, globalisation and technological advances. This appears to be resulting in the availability of a more diverse range of substances, often of high potency and purity, which are posing new risks to public health. At the same time global events threaten to push Europe's response capacities to the limit, as the complexity and scale of the problem continue to grow.
The impact of the developments we are seeing means that everyone is in some way likely to be affected by illicit drug use, the operation of the drug market and the problems associated with it. Directly, we see this in those who develop problems and need treatment or other services. Indirectly, we see it in the recruitment into criminality of vulnerable young people, the strain on health budgets, and the social costs for communities that feel unsafe or where institutions or businesses are undermined by corruption or criminal practices. We cannot avoid the fact that drug issues have an impact almost everywhere. They are manifest in and exacerbate other complex policy problems, such as homelessness, the management of psychiatric disorders and youth criminality. We are also witnessing greater levels of violence and corruption driven by the drug market in some countries. Increasingly, we are observing that almost everything with psychoactive properties can appear on the drug market, often mislabelled or in mixtures, leaving consumers potentially unaware of what they are using, increasing health risks and creating new law enforcement and regulatory challenges.
The EUDA is committed to increasing Europe’s preparedness on illicit drugs and new psychoactive substances, supporting the European Union and its Member States through a new, interconnected service model. The European Drug Report supports this work by highlighting the latest trends and emerging threats for policymakers and practitioners in the drugs field, in order to inform their efforts and support the development of evidence-based and timely responses to new and changing drug problems.